Violet Sunset
by HomeschoolGirl
Summary: A Twilight Continuation taking place seven years after Breaking Dawn Ended.
1. Chapter 1

Hi Guys! :)

I'm still continuing "You Love Me" (Hunger Games) but this story has several chapters written so I wanted to give you a taste of it. This is just the first chapter, and so far there are several of them. The book is called "Violet Sunset" and is a continuation of The Twilight Saga. Basically, it takes place seven years after Breaking Dawn ends, when Renesmee is full growth.

Let me know what you think! :D This book is split up into four parts, and each of the parts are about forty pages. I've already completed the first part, which is from Renesmee's POV. The second book is from Bella's, the third Jacob's, then back to Renesmee. :)

Obviously, Renesmee and Jacob are together in the story. :D I loved that pairing! And I felt like they still had a lot of story to tell.

I'm updating "You Love Me" later today...

Enjoy! I 3 Reviews! ;)

-Homey

**Disclaimer: **I might be team Edward, but Jacob is still awesome. And he belongs to Stephenie Meyer. So does Nessie, Bella, Carlisle, Jasper, Esme...so on and so forth. They're ALL hers.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

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><p><strong>BOOK ONE<strong>

renesmee

"_You nicked-named my daughter after the Lock Ness Monster!"_

_-Stephenie Meyer, _Breaking Dawn

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

This could not be happening.

Well, technically, it could. I mean-I'd faced death in more than one situation. Several times. Sadly. If it wasn't so frightening I'd probably laugh at how pathetic that sounded. Next to me, the boy quivered. Violent spasms rocked down his spine, shaking his frame. I felt like putting a hand on him, restricting, but it might only make his practiced self-control fall to pieces. Instead, I let it go, clinging to the mere hope he might not feel the need to avenge me.

And so, with shaky steps, I walked forward to meet my fate.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: BirthDay?<strong>

_Purple skies swirled above my head as I ran. I didn't know where I was running, only that the destination would bring me happiness. All at once, rain began pouring down. The transition in weather was so fast it blurred into existence. I could almost taste my annoyance, and then I saw him. Cooper-skinned, black-haired and beautiful, he stood before me, palms up in surrender. I walked forward, smiling slightly. He looked worried, though I was already his. No need for uncertainty…_

"Happy Birthday, Nessie!"

The voice broke through my dream, shattering it in an instant. I had a sudden urge to hit something, and hard. I was having a nice dream, about a nice boy, and who interrupts it?

"Alice!" I screeched, covering my ears.

"That's _Aunt_ Alice to you. Don't go all Bella on me, sweetie."

I rolled my eyes as the wind-chime voice went up an octave.

"I got you a present. But, ugh! I can't see anything! What if you don't like it? What if…"

I rolled over, smiling as I saw the small woman sitting on my bed. Or, rather, a girl…even though Alice was nearly a hundred and fifty years old, she was still so tiny it was ridiculous. Thin arms, thin face, thin torso…and wild, black hair that stuck out from her face every which-way. She held a small, silver-wrapped box in her hand. I sat up, tugging at my tank top as I did so.

"I'm sure I'll love it, Aunt Alice. Thanks." I took the gift from her, ripping through the wrapping. She grimaced at my hastiness.

It was a small book of Frost poems, a volume I didn't have. I smiled slightly, leaning forward to wrap my free arm around her. The other grasped the faded leather cover of my new novel.

"It's an antique," she reminded me sternly. "So be gentle, _please_?"

I rolled my eyes. "No need to worry about that."

Two more people suddenly appeared in my room, having dashed there at an inhuman speed. My mother was one of them, her thick, dark hair waving down past her waist. She smiled at me, showcasing perfectly white teeth. The man next to her, with bronze hair and a body any male model would have killed for, was my father.

I waved halfheartedly, plopping back down on my pillow. "Hi. Bye."

"Don't be such a downer," my mom said with a smile, climbing up next to Alice. She looked over at my father, and then back down at me. "I would sing happy birthday, but I might shatter something…"

"Bella, love, your voice is exquisite," my father whispered quietly from beside her. He leaned over to brush his lips silently across hers. I was tempted to lose my meal from last night, but refrained. That wouldn't help anything.

"Not that I don't adore the love fest that is going on," I said a few seconds later, as they were _still_ kissing. "But I have a full stomach, and…"

"Later," mom said, her voice barely carrying any sound. But my sensitive ears caught it, and I gagged.

"I thought this was my birthday, hello? No PDA, please."

Dad suddenly grinned, leaning over to plant a kiss on my cheek. "Fine, fine. But I must make an exception for the birthday girl."

"Me as well," mom said, kissing my forehead. "Happy birthday, Renesmee."

I half-smiled, despite myself. "You're forgiven for the kissing. Thanks."

Alice's eyes suddenly glazed over. She stared distantly at the wall, as if seeing something. But really nothing was _here_, just in her mind…

Dad's slight gasp interrupted my tangled thoughts. He frowned for a moment, and then grinned. "Alright…well, that settles it."

Mom looked over at him with confusion, but didn't press the matter. Alice was suddenly back-to-earth, and focused entirely on picking lint from my bed sheets. I rolled my eyes. I would figure out what she had seen later. For now…

"I promised to spend the day with Jake," I said, hopping blithely from the bed.

Dad shot mom a wary glance. "I don't know…"

"Oh, c'mon!" I said, resorting to begging. I clasped my pale hands together, giving them my best smile. "I thought since I'm a legal adult now I can, you know, do as I please. That sort of thing."

Mom grinned. "Honey, you're seven."

"Technically," I said with impatience, gesturing towards my five-foot-five figure. "But physically, and mentally, I'm eighteen. Full maturity."

I dressed as I spoke, uncaring of whether they saw me. Not that they wanted to. Mom politely turned her head away, as did dad. Only Alice stared, narrowing her eyes as she saw my undergarments. There was nothing my Aunt hated more than faded clothes-even panties.

"I guess I don't care," mom finally relented, looking to dad. "Edward?"

He shrugged. "But first…"

I was just buttoning my pants as he turned and threw me something. I caught it neatly, opening the top to the purple box in the same second. Movement was so instantaneous for our kind. The second we thought of doing something, it was already done.

So that's how, in all of one second, I was dressed, holding a new present, and staring down at my new possession.

"It's beautiful," I said, gasping a little as my golden eyes caught the little row of diamonds that encircled my new ring. There were ten total.

"One for each of our family," Mom explained. "The big one is Emmett…"

My keen eyes easily spotted the biggest jewel. It was flashy, strong looking, and taunting to all the others. Just like my uncle. I couldn't help but smile.

"The one next to that is Rosalie, since it's the shiniest…"

I really smiled now. I was close with my second Aunt, a blonde beauty with a perfect figure, but she was a bit conceited. The diamond I looked at also had a flawless shape, perfect edges, and it sparkled beautifully.

"That makes sense…"

Dad chuckled darkly, taking over for mom. "The little one that's super small? That's Alice. It's annoyingly small…"

Beside me, Alice hissed, her lips pulling back over her teeth. I laughed, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"Alice is _not _annoying! Pesky, maybe…"

She swatted at me playfully, and I laughed. Out of all my family, I was probably closest with her. Even more so than my mother, who was looking at me expectantly.

"The tallest, skinniest diamond is Jasper," she explained, even though I had guessed it at this point. My Uncle, Alice's partner, was lean, blonde, and stretched-out. He was often sullen looking, but his love for Alice conquered all…

"The most polished one is Carlisle," mom continued. "And the one next to him, that's Esme of course."

I smiled as she spoke of my grandparents. Although that word wasn't the most proper fit for the two young lovers in their mid-to-late twenties. My dad smiled a bit at the mention of his adoptive parents, as did I. Where would we be without them?

I studied the ring some more, smiling as I saw the two diamonds linked together. I pointed to them. "This stands for you guys, right?"

"Right.." Mom said, grinning up at dad. "Because we're never apart. And we love each other."

"The one that's tinted pink is you," Dad said softly, wrapping a secure arm around mom. He kissed her hair. "It's beautiful, and kind, and pleasant…just like our lovely daughter."

"What about this one?" I asked, indicating to the stone set in the dead center.

"Well, that's Jake," mom said with a grin. "Since he's kind of your rock. He keeps you grounded, he's there for you…we figured this stone had the same kind of symbolism. More or less."

I blushed a little at that. "Well, thank you guys. These gifts are perfect…" I trailed off to lean over and hug them.

I hadn't noticed Alice had left until now. I stared at the spot on the bed where she had been only a few moments ago.

"Where did she head off to?"

"She had to take care of some, er, things," Dad mumbled. Then he smiled. "Go have fun with Jake, then. We're glad you liked your gift."

"_Loved_ it," I assured them, kissing both of their stone-cold cheeks. "And love you."

"You, too, Nessie," mom said, wrapping her arms around me. "Forever and always, right?"

"Right!" I agreed, pulling away with a laugh. "See ya!"

And I hurried off to La Push.


	2. Chapter 2

Dunno if this will get any reads...You Love Me is far more popular at this point. (for which I'm glad. LOL!) I wrote all this a while ago, so it's pretty old. Believe me, it gets much better! :D

Thanks for anyone who is reading this!

-Homey ;)

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer's creation. End of story.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

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><p><span>Chapter Two: La Push<span>

I took the back roads to Jacob's house, pushing the speed of my sleek silver corvette. It had been last year's present…

I liked to drive fast, much like my father, and soon I was winding through the dusty paths at eighty-five miles per hour. And this was _slow_ for me. But the sharp cliff edges were a little daunting. I wasn't as indestructible as my parents, though I'm sure running off the edge would hurt too much. It would probably total my car…

I slammed down on the breaks as another car suddenly rocketed past me, driving at a similar speed. For a moment, it grazed the my silver door ever so slightly. My eyes, despite the speed of the vehicle, were able to register everything.

The car was a black jeep, the driver a Caucasian man with pale blonde hair, green eyes, and a scar running the length of his face. The license plate read A8F27, Washington. Once again, this all happened within the frame of a few seconds. Any normal person wouldn't have been able to take this all in.

There was a screeching sound, and my car swerved a little bit. By the time I managed to get it under control, the man was long gone. I grumbled under my breath, pulling the car to the side of the road and hopping out without bothering to open the door.

There was a long, steely scratch going down the whole side of my of my car, from the hood to the back seat. Some black paint had rubbed off on the fender from the Jeep. I covered my face with my hand, muttering a string of curse words my father probably didn't know I had even heard before.

At last, I slid back into the driver's seat, slowing the speed down into the early seventies. Thus, I was in a terrible mood by the time I pulled up to Jacob's red, shoebox-sized house with chipped paint and peeling wood. I saw one of the curtains twitch, and I knew he was watching.

A second later, he came bounding out the front door. His came up short when he saw my moody expression. He looked at my car, narrowing his eyes.

"Edward and Blondie get into a fight?"

"Her name is Rosalie, Jacob," I said, opening my door and getting out. I closed my eyes, breathing slowly in order to maintain control of my temper. "However, I don't know the name of the guy who did this."

"Your car looks like crap," he admitted with a smile. "But…I think I can improve it. Pull it farther back, closer to my garage."

I grinned. "Awe, thanks Jake."

"Sure, sure," he said with a shrug, heading back toward his makeshift, homemade shed. I followed his lead, getting back into my car and weaving it through the bramble and tree branches. I cringed a couple times as I heard another scrape, and then relaxed. He would fix it. Jake was great with cars.

"By the way, happy birthday," he said as I killed my engine, coming back into view with a couple of brushes and some silver paint. "I think this is the right color. It'll cover up the scratch, but not the dent. Sorry."

"Anything's better than this."

We got to work, painting at a leisurely pace. Soon the scratches were covered up, but not the dents, just like he'd said.

"It's looks half-crap now." I grinned. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Nessie."

I sighed, looked down towards La Push beach. "Can we go swimming? Or cliff diving? Anything to pass the time. I don't want to go home." My face slid into an uncharacteristic pout.

"What not?" He asked, already starting for the beach. Jake would almost always do anything I asked of him. I didn't always understand why, but I was glad he valued our relationship that much.

As we walked, I slipped my hand in his, winding our fingers together. "Mom, Dad, Alice…_everyone_ wants to make a big deal out of today."

"You love birthdays," he said with a deep chuckle. "This one is special."

"I don't want anything to change," I admitted shyly, pulling my hand from his for a moment. We were down to the beach, now. I walked up, letting the water lap over my toes. It felt good against my hot skin, which was almost as warm as Jacob's.

"What's going to change?" He demanded, sitting down a few yards from where I stood. I waded deeper, rolling my jeans up.

"Things…I won't grow anymore. I really liked that."

"You don't want to be old, do you?" He asked.

I paused for a moment. "I think I might. Maybe just, I dunno, thirty or something. But I'll never reach that milestone."

"I'm not complaining," Jake said with a shrug. "And I can't age."

"Yes you can!" I pointed out, gritting my teeth. "Anytime."

"First, I have to stop phasing," he explained, although I was already aware of this. "And I have no desire to. Not until you start aging, too." He smiled softly.

The corners of my mouth twitched in a smile. "If I keep growing, you quit phasing. Deal?"

"Deal," he said, extending his hand. I turned around in order to smack it. Once again, he braided his fingers with mine, tugging me down into a sitting position beside him. I leaned my head against his chest, listening intently to the steady rhythm of his heart. My heart…his heart…

"You make me feel better," I admitted against the cotton of his shirt.

His eyes finally caught my diamond ring, and so he raised his eyebrows. "Engaged without telling me?"

I blushed deeply. "No! Dad gave this to me as a present. Each diamond stands for someone in my family."

He counted with confusion, narrowing his eyes. "There's ten. That's two extra."

"One's me," I explained, indicating to the pink one. I knew his eyesight was almost as good as mine, and so he could easily see it too.

"And the other one?" He asked with confusion. "Whose that?"

"You, of course," I said, ducking my head. "You're in the middle."

I felt his lips brush across my hair. "Thanks, Ness."

"No, thank _you_ Jacob. For being, um, mine."

"Always," he promised, wrapping his arms around me.

Our relationship wasn't quite the same as my parent's, or Rosalie's and Emmett's. More like Alice's and Jasper's. They didn't feel the need to kiss each other all the time, to express their love through physical things. We were the same. We were glad to just be together, to hold hands, to talk to one another. Somehow I found this sweeter. Not that I doubted the love of others in my life. I just knew, somehow, this was special.

"Well," I said at last, pulling away. "I should probably be getting back."

"Do you have to?" He groaned, mashing his dark eyebrows together. "Maybe you can stay here for the night." He looked earnest now. "You can have the couch! We can go see Seth and Emily and Leah…"

"Thanks but no thanks," I murmured, imaging how my father would react if he knew I was sleeping here. "I don't want dad to kill you _just _yet."

"Awe, man! That would have been interesting…"

I rolled my eyes. "At least come back with me."

"Oh…fine," he promised with a smile. "But only because it's your birthday."

We drove in friendly silence, and I was more than happy to let Jacob take the wheel. If I was driving I'd be tempted to coax the needle past seventy, up into the late eighties, and maybe in the nineties. Didn't want to push my luck any more than I already had.

Fifteen minutes later, we were winding up the road to the grand house where over half my family lived. Esme had built a cottage for my parents after they were married, and I resided there with them. The rest of the vampires lived in Carlisle's big, white, roomy house.

Vampires? I cringed upon thinking the word. I was averse to using it. People, or family, seemed a more relative term. But the truth of it was, everyone _were_ vampires. Other than Jacob and myself.

Well, I was a half-breed. Having been conceived when my mother was a weak human and my father as he was now. My heart rate ran similar to Jacob's, and as did my temperature. We also had the same pair of chromosomes. My Aunt Alice, who was talented and could _see _the future, couldn't see what would happen in my life. Or Jake's.

That got me to thinking about her vision earlier today, and what had caused dad to gasp. My father, Edward Cullen, could read minds. Literally. My mother was the one exception to this, and that had drawn them together almost ten years ago. Long story made short, they fell in love, they got married, had me, and she was changed into a vampire in order to spend eternity with him.

Dad opened the door as we walked up. He had a strange, flat look to his eyes. They were black, and I realized he needed to go hunting. I was getting a little thirsty too. Maybe I would ask…

"What's wrong?" I asked, walking into the living room. Everyone was gathered there, faces downcast, looking as if they had gotten some terrible news. Jacob tensed up beside me, sensing the danger.

My mom sighed, coming up to dad and wrapping an arm around his waist. "Edward…tell her what Alice saw."

"Bella, love, let's not worry about that at the moment," he said, taking her face in his hands and smiling down at her.

Now my curiosity was raging. "What's wrong, guys?"

Alice, little Alice, looked put out and defeated. "It'll ruin your day, Nessie."

"My day is already ruined," I grumbled through clenched teeth. "Now tell me what the heck is happening!"

Dad frowned. "It's not definite. You must know that before we say anything."

"What. Is. Wrong."

"Alice saw the Volturi," Dad said at last. "They're coming…"


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! :-)

Just wanted to respond to a couple of reviews before I get started:

anubisfreak: Yes! Homeschooled and proud! ;) I love it.

Atlanta098: Thanks for your review! I do love HOA, Switched at Birth...and definitely Adele! She's great!

Tdgat: I definitely see your point! :-) I will admit Nessie's gift slipped somewhat when I was writing this story, but mainly because I think now that she's grown she'd use it less. It was definitely a big part of her childhood but I like to distinguish the two. In regards to the touching thing, I definitely get what you mean. As you will see in later chapters, they DO get more affectionate, but right now this book is taking place right after they made their relationship official. Thank you for your comment!

And thanks to everyone else who reviewed, too! It's so fun to get reads/feedback on this!

Enjoy! :-)

-HomeschoolGirl :D

**Disclaimer: **All these characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Frightened for a Moment<strong>

The words hit me with such force I staggered on my feet. Jacob caught me before I could hit the floor, cradling me in his arms. He whipped his head around at an alarming rate, looking from person to person.

"Help me, anyone?"

Dad rushed forward, lifting me up. He carried me to the couch. Mom gasped a little as my eyes rolled back in my head. I hadn't expected such impact. I hadn't…

I leaned over, my stomach heaving. Shivering black cloaks, pale faces, smiles of happiness has they advanced upon the kill. But worst, the fact that they had been planning to harm _my_ family.

Because of me.

"They can't come…" I finally managed to gasp, covering my face. "We, we have to stop them. We have to go there. I have to go there."

Rosalie hissed from beside me, wrapping a stone-cold arm around my shoulder. "Never, Renesmee. We wouldn't dare to put you in such danger."

"I can't let them come here and kill you," I said, the tears starting. Jake watched helplessly from the doorway, arms extended as if to help me.

"That's out of the question," dad spit through his teeth, narrowing his eyes. "Worst comes to worse, we face them. No, not even that. We run!" His eyes darted over to mom, and I saw pain swell momentarily on his features. She noticed it, too.

"But you said it wasn't for sure," Jacob muttered, kicking the wall with his foot. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his khaki shorts.

"It's not," Allison answered in her trilling soprano. "They're trying to make up their minds about it. I saw brief flashes…" She rolled her eyes. "I think Caius has something to do with this. Aro wasn't the one talking to Jane."

I shuddered at the mention of one of the Volturi soldiers, Jane. She was sadistic, evil, and cynical. A lover of pain, and a giver of it. She worked through the mind, making you think you were under immense agony. Dad had been the victim of it, but mom, with her powers as a mind-shield, wasn't affected.

I felt a little relieved, though. "You'd tell me if it were worse?"

"Of course," Jacob answered for them.

I wasn't satisfied. I noticed how no one else volunteered so readily to please me.

"You'd tell me, right?" I repeated.

Dad relaxed his tense shoulders. "Yes, I suppose we would."

"But before it gets that far, _I_ go_ there_."

Mom shook her head. "It won't come to that, Renesmee. You have to trust us, here. We've dealt with the Volturi before. When they want something they'll get it, and right now they don't particularly want to come here."

I shook my head. "You guys wanted to make a big deal over my birthday. Well, I'm full-growth, smart, and sensible. Plus I'm legal. You guys cannot stop me from going to Italy, and you know it."

Jacob was convulsing. I stood up, placing a steady hand on his quivering shoulder. "Jacob…calm down. I'm fine."

The shuddering ceased, although little spasms still rocketed down his spine. "Okay…I'm fine…I'm calm…"

I smiled, leaning to peck his lips softly. I saw Dad wrinkle his nose with disgust. He had seemed to be over his aversion to Jacob, yet sometimes the flickers of annoyance broke through. Especially since he and I were involved.

"What makes you so willing to give me whatever I want?" I demanded suddenly, crossing my arms and smiling at him. "Is it because I'm so cute?"

To my surprise, he looked uncomfortable. "Of course."

I looked around the room, frowning. "Why are…"

Alice suddenly gasped, pulling my attention away from the matter. Dad's eyes were locked on something far away, too. Reading her thoughts.

All at once, they relaxed, and everyone seemed to sigh in relief.

"They've decided to wait," the two said in unison.

Everyone was suddenly smiling. Mom came up to me, hugging my body securely to hers. Dad came and wrapped his arms around us both.

"I told you everything would be okay. Now come on, let's celebrate!"

I thought it a bit unnecessary that they had brought a cake, but it _was_ Alice's idea. Jacob and I were the only ones whose systems could digest human food. I didn't much care for it, preferring to drink animal blood, but I ate a small sliver just to please them.

Jake, however, didn't pass it up. Soon he had gobbled down three pieces. Esme wrapped up the rest for him to take to Seth, Quil, and Embry. His three best friends were also members of his wolf pack.

None of them aged, because they were all, well, werewolves. More or less. The proper term would have been "shape shifters." On top of that, wolves were the only thing that could destroy vampires, besides their own kind.

I didn't understand why La Push had two wolf packs. Jake told me a long while ago that it was because of the amount of vampires that lived here in Forks. Changing happened when vampires were nearby. But the curse only affected heirs to the original spirit warriors-Jake had been one of the first five to change in this decade. Over the past seven years, more had joined the packs or stopped phasing altogether, so that twenty total wolves had come and gone. The other pack, not Jake's group, consisted of a guy named Jared, two kids, Colin and Brady, a fourteen-year-old named Alexander, fifteen-year-old Reid, and the eighteen-year-old Jonas.

"Thanks for the party," he said with a grin as I walked him out to his car. I forced a weak smile.

"Some party, huh? Got scared with the Volturi, had to eat cake, and act happy."

"Sure you don't want to come back with me?" He offered hopefully again. "We could go cliff diving, or hang out with the pack, or even go motorcycle riding."

I smirked. "Sounds tempting but…"

"You have to pass?"

"Yeah."

I could feel eyes on the back of my head, and knew someone was watching our teasing exchange.

Jacob growled under his breath. "Does Edward have to be so protective?"

"He loves me," I said with a laugh.

Jacob's eyes suddenly sobered. "He's not the only one."

My laughter choked off, and I sighed. "Yeah, Jake, I feel the same way."

He pulled me close, and I pressed my cheek to his. We stood there like that for a long moment, before Jacob tensed and pulled away.

"Edward's glaring at me."

"Tell him to…"

"What? Go jump off a cliff?"

I laughed, burying my face in his shirt. "Jacob!"

He wrapped his arms around me again. "Nessie, I never want to let you go. You know that, right?"

I opened my mouth to say something equally romantic and mushy, but before I could, a low hiss sounded behind us.

"I'd better go," I said, pulling away from him. His black eyes sparkled.

"That was the blond Barbie. Apparently, I'm annoying her by touching you."

"It messes up my smell," I said, wrinkling my nose. "But you smell fine to me, Jake. And they smell pretty good to me."

"You sound like Bella," he said with a chuckle. "She was confused about that, too, when she was human. You know, Ness, I think you're more human than all of us."

This brought me up short. "I…we…"

"I know, I know. 'Jacob, I'm the _least_ human.'" He mocked my voice weakly, and I laughed. "But your heart beats, you blush…"

He ran a finger up my cheek. In response, a deep red coursed through my veins. I sighed wistfully. "That feels nice."

"What, the blush?"

"Your hand," I admitted shyly. "My family is so _cold_."

Another hiss, this one in distaste. I recognized my dad's light tenor at once. I stepped back fully, smiling through my teeth.

"What are you going to take home?" I asked, realizing we'd driven my car.

He ripped his shirt off. "Running sounds pretty good."

I turned away. Removal of clothing was an inevitable thing for the wolf pack. Their clothes didn't fade in and out of existence when they phased. They ripped to shreds, inconveniently

Jacob laughed from behind me. "I'm tempted to take my pants off, just to test Edward's patience, but I think he might kill me."

I rolled my eyes, turning back to him. I avoided looking at his bare chest as best as I could. Instead, I leaned forward, kissing his cheek lightly.

"'Bye Jake."

"See ya, Nessie."

And then he was off, through the trees. I looked after him longingly. How I wished Jake could take me, and I be his forever. Marriage seemed the only solution to this. Though it was objectionable, it didn't sound bad. Jacob hadn't brought it up, though. So I doubted he was ready for that level of commitment.

When I came back in, dad was laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, shuffling my feet nervously.

"Your thoughts," he answered, snickering some more.

"What about them?" I was getting a little angry now.

He smiled softly, sensing my distress. "Nessie, Jacob's far more committed to you than you can ever realize…"


	4. Chapter 4

Hi Guys!

Listening to Kayne West "Love Lockdown" as I write this. (.) Why must he have catchy songs yet be so...rude? And auto-tuned! LOL!

Soooooo...enjoyy!

Thanks!

-Homey :)

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: First Kiss<strong>

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when dad explained imprinting to me. I knew Jacob's feel for me was a little stronger than a boyfriend-girlfriend fling. He had loved me since I was born, he had been my friend as I grew, and now, he was my other half. A part of me.

Or so, it seemed.

I found myself crying as dad finished speaking. Tears coursed down my cheeks, my throat formed lumps, and I felt raw.

"What's wrong, Renesmee?" He asked, reaching out to lightly touch my shoulder. Mom and Rose were the only ones left in the room. I wondered where the others had gone.

"He doesn't…love me?" I said.

"No! Of course!" Mom gasped, setting a hand on my shoulder. "He loves you more than anything. The imprinting is so strong, it binds him to you completely."

"He was forced into it," I said flatly, shrugging her hand away.

"He'll explain it better than I could," dad said defensively. "Imprinting only happens on soul mates. People who are meant to be together."

"I'm not buying this crap!" I yelled, my eyes welling up with tears. "He doesn't love me, and that's fine. I just wish someone would have told me."

"Nessie, why are you acting like this?" Rosalie demanded, coming up behind me. "The mutt loves you, truly he does. He has since you were born."

"I feel so used," I moaned, covering my face. I took a shaky breath. "It didn't mean anything then? All his promises…he made them because he _had_ to."

"Honey, it's not like that," Mom whispered, pain apparent in her voice. "Just ask your father. He can hear Jacob's thoughts."

Dad nodded earnestly. "He loves you so, Nessie. He would hurt himself to save you, he would…he thinks of you all the time."

"No he doesn't!" I said, the tears falling freely now. "It had to be that way. You're all lairs! How could you?"

"Bella, love, tell her!" Edward begged, putting a hand on my mother's thin shoulder.

She nodded. "Call him, honey. He'll tell you."

I was gasping now, trying to breathe. I felt like I was dying. A part of me shattered and fell to pieces. I could feel it.

"I need to…lie down."

I stumbled upstairs, falling onto Alice's bed, in her room. My room was back at the house, sadly.

. It was hard to believe so much had happened in one day. A present from mom and dad…a threat from the Volturi…and now, my true love, my technical 'other half' was forced into feeling for me. And I hadn't known it. The agony was unbearable.

I heard my parents arguing downstairs, with the occasional snide remark from Rosalie. I wanted to tell them all to shut up! I wanted to throw something hard and preferably painful at each of them.

I must have fallen asleep; because when I opened my eyes next a dark shape was leaning over me. Hot fingertips pressed against my cheek. Jake had come.

"Jacob…" I murmured, shrugging out from under his arm. I stepped lightly off the bed, dashing across the room. I faced him. It was dark, now, and only a sliver of moonlight allowed me to see his pained expression.

"You found out."

"Yes," I whispered quietly. I stepped forward, reaching out to smack his shoulder playfully. "And it's okay that you don't love me like I loved you. That's fine."

"Are you stupid Nessie?" He yelled suddenly, standing up and grabbing my shoulders. I tensed automatically.

"What did he tell you?" Jacob continued. "Filthy bloodsucker probably _wanted_ you to feel used. He hates me, anyway."

"He just told me the truth!"

"What did he say?"

I sighed, reaching out to press my palm to his cheek. I hadn't used my gift in the longest of times-it was more convenient when I was a young child. But I could take my thoughts and give them to people, make them see my memories.

Now I flooded back through our conversation. Jacob cringed when I first spoke, my voice layered thickly with tears. When I pulled my hand away, he sighed.

"Nessie…"

I frowned, anticipating some rebuke. Instead, he sounded hurt.

"How could you think what I feel for you is forced?"

I looked down, surprised to find my eyelashes were wet. "Oh, Jake. I don't want you to be mad at me, or feel bonded to me."

"I don't," he whispered huskily, leaning close so his lips quivered an inch from mine. "You're the best thing that ever…" his voice broke, but he forced himself to continue. "Ever happened to me. I love you."

A tear slid down my cheek. The ache inside of me was hollow. It festered, tugging at my need to be with him. It was too much…

He crushed his mouth to mine abruptly, cutting off my thoughts. I gasped under his urgent kiss. Downstairs, a snarl erupted, but Jacob ignored it. His arms wound around me, pulling me close. My body pressed tightly to his. I pulled myself tighter, making an unconscious decision to kiss him back.

He pulled away in order to give my shoulders a gentle push. I tottered unsteadily on my feet for a moment, wondering what he was doing, before I fell back on the bed. My eyes widened, and I quickly scooted up higher so my legs weren't dangling off the end of the queen-sized mattress. An instinctive reaction.

Jacob, at almost seven feet, towered above me. He eased himself down on top of me, being careful not to crush me with his weight. Our kiss had yet to break. He cradled my face gently in his one of his hands, crushing the other to the small of my back.

I turned my head away, gasping for breath. His lips moved to my ear.

"Are you implying you want to take it to the next level?" He teased, his tone thick with implications despite his lighthearted banter.

I measured the distance between Alice's room and where my parents stood, one floor below us. I'm sure they could hear everything and _that _was embarrassing. Plus, Alice would probably be mad that I was so leisurely kissing Jake on her bed.

"I'd rather…not," I admitted at last, measuring the reaction in his dark eyes.

He nodded slowly, frowning. "But not because you're still mad at me?"

I sat up slowly, brushing a strand of my dark brown hair behind my ear. "Jacob, I was never, well, _mad_ at you. I was upset at myself. For being so stupid to believe you loved me. Now, well, it seems kind of crappy that I acted like that. Sorry."

"Apology accepted," he said, pulling himself into a sitting position. His expression was one of smugness, which I didn't understand.

"So," he said with curiosity. "How was that?"

I rolled my eyes, leaning over to give him a gentle push. "It was awful, Jake! Totally pedophilic of you. Creepy."

He smiled. "You're the one who's older."

"On the contrary," I argued lightly. "You've been alive for what…twenty-six years? Twenty-eight? I've only been alive for _seven_. It's like I'm a little girl."

"An extremely cute little girl," he breathed, leaning close in order to kiss my forehead. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Ness."

"You didn't…" I said shyly, measuring my words. "Actually, you're welcome to do that again. Someplace more private, preferably. Without eight vampires below with extremely good hearing and extra abilities."

"I better go out the window," Jake laughed. "So I'm not in temptation's way."

"Mom wouldn't let dad kill you," I promised. "Though, you're right, I'm sure he'd been greatly tempted."

Jacob stood, sending me one longing glance before launching himself out the window. I strained to hear the quiet thud below.

"Love you, Nessie," Jacob whispered, and then I heard him run for the trees.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! :)

Here's another chapter. Enjoy!

-Homey ;D

**Disclaimer:** All these characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just decided to write what happened to them after seven years. Though, I kinda still wish she'd do that, too.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five: Mistakes Will Be Made<strong>

Fearing the wrath of my parents, I followed Jacob's lead, jumping out the window. Maybe I was being a coward. Probably was. I ran through the black night, pricks of fear tingling down my spine. It was unnecessary, to feel afraid, especially since I was a vampire-even if not a total one.

I cleared the river in one bound. The forest blurred past me at an alarming rate. I was home free. Within seconds, I came upon the home I'd grown up in. The cottage; faded with age, delicate and tasteful, classic and modern-all in one.

I let myself in, closing the door with a subtle click behind me. I was exhausted. After today's events, I couldn't wait to climb into my warm bed.

But my mind had other ideas.

I couldn't sleep, not after the way Jake had kissed me. My mind fretted over the whole event, going over it in detail. What would mom and dad have heard? That made me blush, blush darkly. The warmth spread under my cheeks.

It was seconds later that I heard my parents enter, whispering quietly. I slowed my breathing, struggling to fake them into thinking I was asleep.

I heard them settle onto their big bed, and the muted sound of their lips whispering together in synchronization. Bile rose in my throat. But luckily-very lucky indeed-mom felt like talking tonight. I heard her pull away from him.

"Edward," she said softly, a whiny undertone to her words. "I'm…worried about Nessie and Jacob. We all heard what happened tonight."

"And?" Dad replied, as if waiting for more. It surprised me he didn't seem angry. On the contrary he sounded quite…amused.

"I don't want her doing stuff with him," she admitted softly. "It's…it's weird."

Dad laughed. "That's a blatant way to put it!"

Mom sighed in relief. "So you're upset about it, too?"

"Not upset, exactly," dad said. "Because his thoughts have been heading in this direction for quite some time. Bella, love, you must understand. They're two adults, in love, just as we were."

"As we _are_," she corrected, and I could almost imagine mom curling herself closer to him. "But still, it upsets me."

"How so?"

"Edward, it was less than…a decade ago…that Jacob had similar feelings for me. We kissed. _Kissed_. Don't you think that's weird, that he should want my daughter, too?"

Dad sighed. My heart was pounding, and I struggled to slow it.

"I…don't. I told you, Bella, I've heard his thoughts. You know they're together. You know they love each other. And you know their relationship is bound to take a serious turn. But he won't hurt her. He can't. And he'll always listen and respect her."

"That's all I want," mom said quietly.

I rolled over and squeezed my eyes shut, willing sleep to take me. This birthday…had been confusing, to say in the least. Action-packed was probably a more appropriate term. I sighed, closed my eyes, and fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p>I crouched, fixing my eyes on my prey. The elk stared around himself at alarm as my foot snapped a twig. I focused on the heat point in his neck. It throbbed. My throat burned. With a wild cry, I launched myself at him, teeth easily closing around the spot. He was dead.<p>

"You've gotten better, Ness," Jacob said from behind me, as I drained my meal. I pulled back, wiping a stray drop of blood from my chin.

"I hate killing things. It makes me feel bad…"

Jacob closed his eyes, shivering. Heat trembled down his spine. In a second, he was on all fours, a horse-sized wolf towering above me. His clothes shredded with a loud tearing sound.

"That's nice," I commented dryly, going over to run my fingers through the wolf's fur. "Did you forget you take your clothes off, first? When you phase…"

He winked at me suggestively. I blushed, despite myself. In response, the wolf barked a coughing laugh, reached out to playfully snap at my face. I dodged him expertly, jumping up and grabbing a tree branch-some fifteen feet off the ground. I dangled above him, laughing.

Jacob reared back on his hind legs and easily seized the end of my pants. I gasped as they were pulled off in one, quick motion. Now my legs were exposed, showcasing an unflattering pair of day-of-the-week underwear.

"What the heck!" I said, letting go of the branch. Jacob, in his wolf form, stared at the pants for a long time. Then he burst out laughing. I reached out, struggling to grab them, but he stepped back in the same instant.

"I'm serious, here!" I begged, clasping my hands together. He just shook his head, still laughing like the idiot that he was.

We played cat-and-mouse for a moment, until finally I managed to get my arms around him. What I didn't expect was for him to phase. Suddenly I was nose-to-nose with him, and he toppled over, flat on his back.

I grabbed my pants, stood up, and ran as fast as I could fifty-yards away from where he stood. Deliberately, I turned my back to him, tugging on the pants.

"Um…Ness?" He called behind me.

I groaned, refusing to turn. "What, Jacob?"

"I don't have any clothes."

"That's _your_ problem."

"But I'm, er, naked."

"Phase back."

"Fine…but I really wanted…"

When I turned a second later, he was gone, having taken off for the house in his wolf-form. I sighed, sinking down to the ground. What was happening?

Quite suddenly, there was a timid hand on my shoulder. I turned to find Jacob, grinning at me, fully clothed. Had I fallen asleep?

"Hi, Sleeping Nessie," he joked, sinking on the dirt beside me.

Disoriented, I yawned, staring absently into the space before me. "Jake…" I began suddenly, looking down. The blush in my cheeks was a dead giveaway.

"What, Ness?" He asked, leaning closer. "Are you hurt? Are you-"

"Um…no," I promised, winding my hand through his. "It's more like…okay, this is going to sound _really_ stupid. But…why did you name me after the Loch Ness monster?"

There was an infinite beat of silence, before Jacob burst into loud howling laughter. My cheeks blazed scarlet. I sighed, putting my head in my hands.

"Sorry," Jacob apologized when his chuckles were somewhat under control. "That just took me by surprise, that's all." His hand rubbed soothing circled in my back. I concentrated on that, trying to shove away the embarrassment I felt.

"Renesmee seemed like a freaking long name, you know?" He said at last. "I don't know what your mom was thinking. She was still on that weird pregnancy high that makes moms really stupid, I guess. She 'bout killed me when I called you Nessie. Tried to rip my throat out, too. S'pose that was 'cause of the imprinting thing, though."

I laughed, despite myself. "Okay. Thanks, Jake."

"Anytime," he agreed, winding his arms around me. "No matter how dumb the question is."

We sat there in silence, savoring each other's company.

"So…" Jacob began, uncomfortably. I waited.

"What is it?"

"Did the blood-er-_Edward_, give you crap for kissing me?"

"I've avoided him," I admitted, shrugging. Slowly, I reached out and touched my palm to his forehead. I ran back through my parent's conversation, lingering on the details of Jacob's previous infatuation with my mom. He read my strain behind the words, as my emotions described how I felt about that.

He sighed, pulling my head away before I was finished. He kissed my palm, staring at it thoughtfully.

"You loved her, once?"

He looked up, leaned forward, and brushed his lips across the tip of my nose. "It's nothing compared to how I feel about you, Ness."

"Why, then-"

"Here's my theory," he interrupted. "I think it was that way, all the time, _because of you_. The universe knew you had to exist, and it knew we'd be together. So it was impossible for me to be away from Bella, until you came. I think I tricked myself into thinking the feeling of needing her, needing you, was one of love. I did some really stupid things, mind you. Kissed her against her will…threatened to kill Edward…the whole shebang. I was an idiot, back then."

"Still are," I pointed out. He didn't disagree.

"But…I was hoping…you'd forgive me. For the imprinting, and the kissing Bella, and for hurting you. I know it's a lot to just, forget, but I was hoping…"

I tilted my head at him, measuring his reaction. "Jake? When did you realize you loved me? Like, really, truly loved me. This way." I held up our hands as an example.

He grinned. "It was a year ago. You were, what, fourteen at the time? God, I hope that doesn't sound creepy. But you were crying, remember? About that boy at school who'd 'broken your heart'. Well, I wanted to break his neck. I wanted to take you in my arms and keep you there forever. It was then, I guess."

"I hate school," I said absently. "Didn't really work, anyways, since I changed so much. Glad that's over."

"You don't need it," Jacob assured me. "You're smarter than all of us, already."

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't go _that_ far."

There was a beat of silence before Jacob spoke.

"So…I was curious…when did, you know, start loving _me_ that way?"

My eyes widened, taken aback by the question. "W-well…I guess, figuratively, I was sixteen. So half a year ago. You and Seth were arguing over what we should do. Seth said motorcycles, you said cliff diving. I was just bored. And, um…the way you looked, when you said my name…" I paused to catch my breath, closing my eyes. "I _hoped_ that you might love me. I'm not that special, so I couldn't be sure-"

And suddenly I was on the ground, flat on my back. Jacob wrapped both arms around me, supporting my head. His black eyes burned into my brown.

"You're more than that, Nessie. You're so amazing."

I straightened my neck in order to reach his lips. Shyly, I brushed mine across his. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

"That's enough," I whispered, pulling my head back. Jacob had other ideas, though. His hand traveled the length of my arm, cupping my elbow. He yanked my arm up over his shoulder, placing my hand just below his shoulder blade. I frowned as his other hand searched my leg, grabbing my thigh, and yanked my leg up over his hip.

"That's enough," I said again, but my resolve faltered. He could see that, and he smirked happily, bringing his mouth to mine.

This made me uncomfortable, the way he was kissing me. His hands were everywhere…tracing over my ribcage, down my side, over my knee. I struggled under his firm grip, despite myself.

"Stop it," I demanded, pulling my head away from his. I clamped my mouth shut so he couldn't kiss me anymore.

He moved lips to my cheek, caressing it gently. I shook my head.

"Jacob, I said, _stop it_."

The words didn't reach him. He moved his fingers to the bottom button of my shirt. Worry seized me. Tears began to form.

"Stop, please," I begged, and my voice was so choked with emotion, he looked up. He saw I was afraid and immediately rose to his feet, looking scared.

"Oh my god, Nessie…I'm so sorry."

I struggled to wipe my tears away, sitting up. My hands were shaking as I struggled to button the one that had come unclasped.

"Let me help," he said, reaching for me.

"No!" I shouted, fury ripping up inside me. I hurried to my feet, stepping back. I had been so vulnerable, so scared. "No, Jacob! Leave me alone."

The pain in his eyes was tangible. I could almost taste it.

"I didn't mean-"

"I don't care!" I cried, squeezing my eyes shut. "Please, don't touch me."

He turned and darted off into the forest, already trembling. In a moment, I saw a russet brown wolf, darting through the trees.

"Crap," I sighed heavily, turning for home. I took my time, walking through the trees at a painstaking human pace. Dad would be furious when he read my thoughts. Jacob would never be allowed to come around again.

I was right. The second I walked in the door, it was almost dusk. Dad looked up from his place at the grand piano. A snarl ripped from his throat. Mom stared at him with suspicion, from her spot halfway across the room.

"What is it, Edward?" She asked, looking worried.

"Jacob," he spat, venom dribbling down his lip. I trembled, closing my eyes.

Mom gasped. "What is it, Edward? Is he okay? Is he-" She looked at me. "Ness? Is Jacob hurt? What happened?"

Dad shuddered delicately. "He…tried to make a move on Nessie."

Mom's eyes widened. "What?"

He concentrated, reading my thoughts. "Renesmee asked him to stop. He almost-" Dad stopped, convulsing. Slowly he began to calm. This reminded me of Jacob. When he grew angry, he acted similarly.

Mom understood. "Oh my god."

It was then I burst into tears. My shaky knees gave out, sending me tumbling to the floor. Dad darted across the room and caught me before I could hit the ground.

"I was so scared," I sobbed into his shirt, clinging to the fabric. "I begged him to quit it, but he wouldn't. And afterwards…"

Mom was there, too, rubbing my back. Not in the same what Jake had, but in a more maternal manner. "Ness, it's okay."

"I didn't want to disappoint you," I said with a delicate shudder.

Dad was seething. "The only one disappointing is that disgusting, filthy mongrel. I don't want him around again. Not when…" He stopped, sighing slowly. When his eyes opened, they were not as dangerous. "Nessie, from now on, you will not be left with Jacob alone. Alice, Esme…I don't care _who_, but someone will always be with you."

"F-fine," I stuttered, squeezing my hands together in a tight fist.

Emmett came bounding down the stairs then, followed closely by Rosalie.

"I told you, Rose-I'm not getting married again!"

"But I want to," she begged, clasping her hands together. "Emmett, we can have another honeymoon and everything. It'll be great."

"It'll be freaking stupid-"

They both looked up then, and caught sight of my tear-stained face. Rosalie inhaled sharply. In less than a second she was at my side, wiping the tears from my cheeks. Mom still sat, frozen, in her spot on the couch.

"What happened, Renesmee? Are you hurt?"

Huh. They must've been pretty wrapped up in their conversation. I mean, they didn't even _hear_ Dad's angry snarls? I shook my head, a lump rising in my throat.

"I'm-I'm not hurt, Aunt Rose."

"Then what?" She demanded, staring into my eyes as if willing a story into focus. She turned to look at Dad. "Edward…" And then her tone was abruptly pleading. "I'm sure you know. Please, tell me what's wrong."

"Jacob," mom said before dad could. "He tried…" She closed her eyes, unable to finish. A sob broke through my clenched teeth.

Rosalie's eyes brightened with understanding. "Ahh…he did, did he? Where is that stupid mutt? I'll rip his face off!"

Emmett still seemed unaware of the situation.

"So, what happened?" He said after a long second. Everyone stared at him in disbelief, eyes widening.

"Are you dense?" Dad hissed. "Jacob, Nessie's so-called _protector_ tried to do something to her against her will. Can you imagine what that would be, Emmett? You heard them upstairs the other night"- he flinched-"and what they were doing. Well, if you possibly can, imagine that, only in the woods, and Renesmee asking Jacob to stop. But he wouldn't. She was crying before he finally did."

I blushed madly, thinking of the mental pictures everyone would form.

"It-it wasn't like that," I whispered. "Not _that_ far." I walked forward slowly to press my palm to dad's cheek. He stiffened, and then growled.

"Oh, that's nice. _Not that far_. He was trying to take your shirt off!"

The room erupted in angry cries, mostly from Emmett and Rosalie. Alice suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase, her black eyes like fire.

"He tried that, did he?" Emmett said, making a fist with his hand. "Well, we'll show him who's boss!" He started for the door.

"No!" I cried, darting forward at an inhuman speed to place my hand on Emmett's arm. "Please, don't! It was partially my fault, anyways."

Now it was mom who spoke quietly. "Renesmee, stop taking the blame for Jacob's actions." She turned to dad, hurrying across the room so she was standing beside him. "Edward…we can't let anyone hurt him. He must have misunderstood-"

"Well, I'm not feeling so forgiving," dad said. Mom grimaced. "Try getting it first hand, Bella, and then tell me not to hurt him."

Alice skipped down the stairs gracefully, a thunderous expression distorting her usually cheerful features. "I do not think forgiveness is best in this situation. We don't want him to do that to her again, now, do we? Do we, Bella?"

"He won't," mom whispered. "I promise!"

"How can you be sure?" Dad said darkly.

Mom didn't have an answer for that.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi Guys!

Sorry for my awful updating habits. LOL! :)

Here ya go!

-Homey ;)

**Disclaimer: **All these characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Trivial Matters<strong>

I tried to sleep, really, I did. And I considered my options.

Number one: Forgive Jacob, and act like nothing happened.

Number two: Forgive Jacob, but make him apologize.

Number three: Ask Jacob to forgive _me_. For hurting him.

I was sure dad would be furious if he could read my mind right about now. But he, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Mom, and Esme were out hunting. Mom had wanted to stay with me, but I insisted she go. If they decided to go after Jacob, I was sure she could convince them otherwise. And I didn't want them to hurt him. I didn't want a war.

So Alice was babysitting me tonight, sitting in the front living room of the little cottage we lived in. I didn't know what she was doing, but she probably knew I was awake. I sighed.

Now, figuratively, I was going to be babysat by my family for the rest of my years, or until Jacob gave up on me. Whichever came first. From what I knew about imprinting, though, he wouldn't ever be able to. Maybe they wanted _me_ to forget _him_. But, even though what he did in the forest had scared me, I still loved him. A lot.

"Renesmee?" Someone whispered, so quietly, my ears almost couldn't catch it. For a moment, my heart stopped, worry seizing me. Who was it?

"Ness?" The person repeated. I suddenly relaxed, recognizing both the voice _and_ smell of Seth Clearwater. Quietly, as quiet as I could manage, I peeked out over my window, which was open. He stood there, in his human form.

"I'm trying to be quiet," he explained silently, forcing me to read his lips.

"Why?" I mouthed back.

"Jake wants to see you."

I groaned, momentarily forgetting there was a vampire with super-hearing in the next room. My heart stopped for a moment, but Alice didn't come. She must have interpreted my sound as one of annoyance at the current situation.

"Please come?" Seth begged. "Jake's….a pain in the….rear, right now, if you know what I mean. He won't quit complaining. In _and_ out of wolf form. I'm afraid Leah's gonna slit his throat if something isn't done."

"What do expect me to do?" I hissed, trying to remain as silent as possible.

"Let him apologize," Seth mouthed. Then his head jerked toward the door. "Uh-oh. Alice heard. I've…got to go."

I looked toward the door, where I could hear my aunt's blithe, graceful step approaching. "Wait outside, okay, Seth? Let me…get her out of here…and then you can take me to La Push."

I saw him sag with relief. "Thanks, Nessie."

I smiled as he kissed my cheek. "Hurry, Seth."

I was in my bed, under the covers, in less than a second. One of the perks of inhuman speed. Seth dashed away, almost as fast, but not as quite. His scent still lingered in the stagnant air.

Alice opened the door a millisecond later, eyes narrowed. She really did look quite scary at times like this, no matter her size.

"I smell…wolf…" She said, wrinkling her nose. She glared at me.

"Seth was here," I admitted, sitting up. "He said Jake's sorry, but I told him to bug off." Well, that last part was a lie, but she didn't have to know that.

"Good," Alice said sternly, the corners of her mouth twitching in amusement. "I'd like to see Jacob's face when he delivers that message to him."

"Me too," I agreed half-heartedly.

Alice's head twitched toward the window, catching a sound I had missed. "What was that? It sounded like someone…phasing."

"Probably Seth!" I exclaimed, then an idea struck me. With a groan, I collapsed back against the bed, placing a hand on my forehead. "Oh, dear! Alice…I need…"

"What, Ness?" She said, leaning against the doorframe. She folded her arms across her chest. "Stop acting like that."

"I'm really hungry," I said sheepishly, propping myself up on my elbow. I was in my oversized shirt and boxer shorts, something I wore on a regular basis to bed. "I would get it myself, but I hate going outside underdressed."

Alice sighed. "You're always underdressed, Renesmee. Just like Bella." She paused, then muttered under her breath, "No sense of fashion, either."

"Please, Aunt Alice," I begged, clasping my hands together. "Can you get me some food from the big house? I'd really appreciate it."

She considered it for a moment, pursing her pixie lips. She closed her eyes, the lashed casting shadows against her cheekbones.

"Of course, I can't see you, but I don't _think_ you can get into trouble in two minutes. Promise you'll stay right here?"

"Vamp's honor," I joked, holding up my right hand. Alice smiled, then bounded over to kiss my cheek. I felt bad for lying to her.

"I'll be back in approximately…" She stared into the space over my head, concentrating. "One minute and fifty-seven seconds."

With that, she was gone, there one second and gone the next. I stared after her, letting out a relieved sigh. Then it was _my_ turn to be fast.

Moving so quickly my shape blurred, I shrugged out of my pajamas, hurrying over to my drawers. Looking over my shoulder as if expecting to be caught, I pulled on a gray tank top, a black-and-white plaid flannel shirt, and bootleg jeans. When I was dressed, I jumped through the window in one fluid motion. Everything had taken all of ten seconds. I still had a minute and…sixty-seven seconds to go!

"Seth?" I hissed into the black night after walking at a slightly faster than human pace towards the woods. I raked my gaze over the trees, sighing with relief when they landed on a pair of glowing, yellow-green eyes. He was waiting.

"We've got to hurry," I said, dashing over to him and getting up on his back, like he was horse. I braided my fingers in his rough, sand-colored fur. "Go, Seth!"

He took off like lightening, so fast that my keen eyes could barely make out the trees as we blurred past them. Seth didn't pant, didn't growl, just focused on his steps. I wondered how long it would take to get to La Push. And would Alice try to catch us?

It had been sixty-four seconds since the conversation with Alice. We had less than a minute before she would return to the house, only to come looking for me.

"How far to La Push?" I asked, placing my mouth down by Seth's ear. His huge eye rolled back to look at me, but he didn't answer. However, his legs seemed to push even faster, and I took that as a bad sign.

The minute and fifty-seven seconds had passed. Alice would be following us now. And we still had quite a ways to go until we reached La Push.

Seth wove through the trees like an expert, dodging branches and bushes with ease. I clung to him, not exactly afraid of hitting a tree, but more of Alice finding us. _She_ was the frightening prospect at this point.

"She'll be looking for us, Seth," I pointed out quietly. His breathing had picked up, along with the pace of his heart. Three minutes had passed since we'd begun running. "In all honesty, I'm surprised she hasn't caught up with us, yet."

Seth shook his wolf-head.

"Why are you saying no?" I demanded.

He didn't answer, of course, just kept running. I sighed, leaning down, trying to make my body relax. I placed my head on Seth's shoulder, closing my eyes. Even if Alice didn't catch us, and we got to La Push, there would still be Jacob to deal with. And still, if that worked out, the rest of my vampire family would be more than furious.

"What the heck have I gotten myself into?" I said then, throwing my hands up. My eyes flew open. "What. The. Heck."

Seth whined, seemingly upset by something.

"Is Alice following us?" I cried, jerking up into a sitting position. I stared behind me with alarm, sniffing, but I didn't catch her scent. Was she here, or not?

Much to my relief, Seth shook his head.

"Well…then what?" I demanded, momentarily forgetting he couldn't answer me. He rolled his eyes at my stupidity.

The time went by, and I grew less afraid with each passing minute. Obviously, Alice hadn't decided to follow us. I was sure she would be worried, though, and I hadn't wanted to do that to her. I should have left a note.

They would never trust me alone again.

But was this worth it, getting things ironed out with Jake?

Abruptly, Seth began to slow. He whipped his head around, looking smug. I gave a victory cheer, taking in my surroundings. We must have passed the boundary line. I took in the scents, recognizing the smell of the wolves. Quil's masculine, husky scent. Embry's more sweet, tangy one. Sam's concentrated fresh-earth smell.

And then one that made my heart speed up. Jacob's woodsy scent. The best smell in the world, as far as I was concerned. One I could recognize miles and miles away.

And suddenly, I didn't care that'd he'd made me afraid. I didn't care that my parents were mad at him and he was mad at me. I didn't care if he never wanted to see me again. _I wanted him_. I didn't care about anything else.

Eagerly, I jumped off Seth's back, taking care to give him a pat before I rushed off in the direction of Jake's house. I made it there in a matter of seconds, my anxiousness pushing me faster, harder than ever before.

"Hi Billy," I said, throwing the door open. Jacob's dad sat in the corner, staring at me with an expression of surprise and amusement. Without so much as a wave, I hurried back to Jake's room. I threw the door open, coming up short. He was sleeping.

And even in slumber, worry lines were sketched over every inch of his perfect, beautiful face. I fell to my knees beside him, whispering soft words, running my fingers through his cropped black hair. It had been like this, his hair, ever since I could remember.

His eyes flew open then, and he reached out to draw an arm around my waist. I gasped with surprise as he tugged me down, beside him. But I curled up next to him, content in his small bed, here with him at last. I felt whole.

"Nessie," he crooned, running his finger through _my _bronze locks. "You came. I'm so sorry, honey. So, so sorry."

"Of course I came," I said, struggling to keep the tears from falling. "And it's okay. I mean, I'm pretty sure my family hates you-"

"Even Bella?" He interrupted.

I giggled. "Yes, even mom."

"Well, crap."

"Crap is right," I said, propping my head up in my hand to look down at him. "What were you thinking, Jake?"

"I was being freaking stupid, that's what," he replied, closing his eyes. I couldn't help but notice he wasn't wearing a shirt. I reached out to timidly trace my finger along the panes of his chest. His gorgeous, russet skin…

"Will you quit that, Nessie?" He demanded, glaring at me. I gasped and pulled my hand back, the slightest bit stung.

"W-what did I do?"

"It's that kind of crap that makes me freak you out and scare you. That tricks me into thinking you…you…"

"Shh," I said, tucking my head under his chin. His arms wrapped around me, holding me tight to him. I didn't mind. "It's okay, Jake. I know I…egged you on. And I _am_ sorry, for that. I'm sorry I had to say no."

"I know why," he grinned. "It's because you have your eye on Seth, right?"

"Absolutely," I answered without missing a beat. "Seth is a hot beast. It was him all along, Jake…I've been conniving against you for my whole life."

"And you know who I love?"

"Who?" I asked, leaning closer. I pressed my lips to his throat.

"Leah Clearwater."

I hissed involuntarily. Jacob laughed, rubbing circles on my arm.

"Nessie…Nessie…Nessie…I can't tell you how happy I am. I thought, for the rest of time, you'd hate me. I knew I couldn't bear to be without you."

"I have to be with you, too, Jake," I assured him. "I love you."

"And I love you," Jacob said kindly. "Um…do you want to stay here, tonight?"

"Please," I exhaled quickly. "I'm sure my family will be furious, but I'm not quite ready to face their wrath yet."

"Then let's sleep!" Jacob declared.

"Sounds good to me, Jake."

So it was there, curled up against his chest, feeling warm and loved and happy, that I fell asleep.

It was the best place to be.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi Guys!

Sorry it's been a while. I always forget to update this story! (I've also been busy, but...) Since this already has several chapters written, I need to update more often. LOL!

Thanks to anyone who is reading this!

-Homey

P.S. Okay, so, I am now reading "Torn" by Amanda Hocking. Has anyone else read the Trylle Trilogy? I'm thinking it's pretty good so far, but I just finished book one in February and the new one was recently released. She's doing so well for having started as an eBook author!

**Disclaimer:** Nessie, Jacob, Bella, Edward...so on and so forth...they all belong to the great Stephenie Meyer. Thank goodness for dreams, or else we wouldn't be here!

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven: Wrath of the Vampires<strong>

The next thing I felt that morning was a cold, hard hand pressed up against my face. I groaned, leaning over, surprised when I didn't come into contact with Jake.

"Jacob?" I gasped, as my eyes fluttered open. I stared up with confusion into my grandfather's eyes. Carlisle smiled lightly at me, seemingly unsurprised.

But I was.

"What the heck!" I exclaimed, sitting up too quickly. With a shriek, I rolled off the examining table I was on and onto the cold, hard floor. I stood up, backing against the wall. "Where's…where's Jake? Where am I?"

I felt dumb, then, as I took in Carlisle's office. Of course I was here. But that still didn't explain…

"Carlisle," I stuttered. "W-where's Jake?"

"He carried you home, Renesmee. He's downstairs." At the mention of Jacob, his kind eyes hardened the tiniest bit at the edges.

"Thank you," I said quickly, dodging past him. I hurried down the steps, three at a time, in a hurry to see Jacob. There he was, sitting on the couch. Without thinking, I threw myself at him, climbing eagerly into his lap.

"Nessie," Jake laughed for a second, and then he was abruptly stiff.

My eyes followed his to my parents cold, hard faces, less than two yards away from us, sitting together on the chair opposite Jake. I shrank back against his chest, waiting for the rebuke.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen," dad said very quietly, using my full name, with frightened me immensely. I inhaled deeply.

"Y-yes dad?"

"Do you have _any_ idea how frightened we were last night?"

I opened my mouth, read to explain, when a look from Jacob silenced me. Obviously, my dad needed to vent, and excuses weren't going to help me at this point.

"Alice leaves for two minutes, only to come back, and you're gone. What is she supposed to think? You promised, Renesmee, that you'd stay."

Mom shivered involuntarily. "Nessie, darling, if Jacob hadn't…"

"Brought you home," dad finished. "Well, we might have just done something incredibly drastic. We were close to it."

"You had to know I was in La Push," I exclaimed, rising to my full height. I wobbled a little, having stood up too fast. Jake kept one hand on the small of my back, steadying me, as I got my footing.

"Your trail died out," Dad explained in a sour tone. "It rained last night, and washed away all of the scents. We had no hope of finding which way you'd gone. If you'd been kidnapped…. and no, Renesmee, we _didn't_ know you were in La Push."

"Where else would I be?" I exclaimed, placing my hands on my hips.

"In Italy, that's where!" Dad yelled back, standing up. He stood, several inches taller than me, and I flinched as I took in his agonized expression.

"You mean…" I gulped. "With the Volturi?"

Dad pulled me roughly against his stone chest, wrapping his arms around me. "We thought…they might have planned a surprise visit. And taken you." I knew if he could cry, he would be. He voice sounded strangely…thick.

"I'm sorry, dad," I whispered, hugging him back. "I'm so sorry. I should have left a note…I should have…"

"That wouldn't have made a difference," dad whispered against my hair, the same shade of his own. "Because you would have still been gone, and we wanted you to stay. You aren't…safe…in La Push anymore."

Now it was Jacob's turn to stand. He towered above everyone, his face abruptly darkening. His eyes were flat black.

"Now I'm not able to take care of her, anymore?" Jacob sneered, coming chest-to-chest with Dad. I had to duck out of the way. "You're a filthy, conniving bloodsucker, and she's safe with you, but not me? Hel-"

"She's my _daughter_, Jacob," Dad said, and he looked just a murderous. "I'm her father, who loves her. Not some dirty pedophile who wanted to force her to do things against her will. I didn't make her _cry_."

Now that was a low blow, and I knew it. Jacob's expression faltered. Abruptly, he looked years younger. I yearned to wrap my arms around him, to stretch up on my toes and press my lips to his…

He trembled, every inch of him seeming to vibrate.

"Nessie," Dad murmured darkly, "get out of the way."

"Jacob," mom breathed, walking forward. "Edward, get her. Take her back."

"No," I whispered, reaching out towards Jake.

"Edward!" Mom said, more frantic now, as Jacob's shaking increased tenfold. "He's going to phase! Get her!"

I reached out, my fingertips an inch from Jake's arm. I could feel the tremors in the air that came off him, distorting the vapors around me and making them vibrate.

"Get back, Renesmee!" Dad commanded sharply. I ignored him.

My fingers made contact with Jake's skin. Ever so slightly, the trembling decreased. I stepped closer, wrapping my arms around him. He was shaking a little less, now. He wouldn't dare phase with me so close.

Bravely, I stretched up on my toes to kiss the hard edge of his jaw.

He shook no more.

I moved my mouth ever so slightly, just to the side, until it came in contact with his. I pressed my lips firmly to his own.

And then we were kissing, like the time on my birthday. He made a strange sound in the back of his throat, but I took no notice. I wound my arms around his waist, and leaped up to better reach his face.

I heard dad groan and mom shush him. Slowly, she ghosted from the room, followed closely by dad. Jake stepped back, gasping as his leg caught the edge of the couch. He fell back, this time with me on top of him, and I giggled.

"Well," he said, settling himself against the cushions. I sat on his stomach, my legs straddling either side of him. "I don't much mind this position. Not the most comfortable, but still, it's pretty awesome."

I laughed again, leaning forward to kiss him once more. My straight, long hair fell down past either sides of my face, forming a curtain around us. His arms came up and wound themselves around me, but I didn't care.

"We better stop," I said after a moment, pulling back. I was sure my parents were watching, and that made me uncomfortable.

"Awe, but we just started," Jake half-whined-half-joked. I sighed, getting up, swinging my legs over to sit on the arm on the couch.

"That wasn't cool," I scolded him gently, as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. Jake reached out and tentatively touched my back. I turned to look at him.

"Nessie? I'm really sorry."

"S'okay, Jake," I said lightly. "I didn't think you would phase."

He closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists. "I was just so mad when that disgusting parasite-er-Edward, said that to me." He opened his eyes. "Y-you don't think I was being creepy that day, do you? Really and truly creepy?"

"No," I whispered, the truth ringing out in my voice. "You were just…being my boyfriend. But I'm not ready, Jake, not for that. Okay?"

"I know, honey, and I'm sorry," he said softly, scooting over to wrap an arm around my waist. "I'm sorry I made you cry."

We sat there for a moment, not saying anything, just listening to the other breathe. I relaxed as his grip on me tightened. I felt…safe.

Jasper came, long and lanky, into the room then. Jacob stiffened beside me. I reached out to touch his shoulder reassuringly before I turned to my uncle.

"Yes, Uncle Jazz?"

"Charlie just called," he explained, staring at the floor. "He's coming over in about fifteen minutes. Edward wanted me to tell you."

"Okay, thanks," I said. Then, as he turned away, I thought of something.

"Uncle, Jazz?"

"Yeah, Ness?" He turned to stare at me with brooding, golden eyes.

"Why…who….where is Alice?"

His eyes darkened with understanding, but he didn't say anything.

"Well?" I urged after a moment.

"She's…upstairs. She feels averse to being down here, right now. Too much…chaos, you know."

"It's because of me, isn't it?" I said, my head drooping.

"Of course not," Jacob was quick to reassure me, before Uncle Jazz could. "No, Nessie, she could never be mad at you."

When I looked over, Jasper was glaring.

"Just…just tell her I said sorry," I whispered feebly, picking at some lint on my shirt. "And…that I love her. Also, I'm in serious need of some clothes restoration, so when she gets the time, I'd love to go shopping."

Jasper's mouth pulled up at the end, into a halfhearted smile. "Sure, will, Nessie." And then he was gone, quick as a flash.

"I feel horrible," I moaned, throwing my head into my hands. "My whole family hates me. I should have just stayed…"

Jacob's happy expression was replaced with a sorrowed one.

"Um…never mind that," I muttered, frowning at the floor. Could I ever say the right thing?

Apparently not.

Several minutes later, a police cruiser sounded in the driveway. Everyone filtered into the room at the sound of it, some looking nervous, others at ease. Like Emmett, for example. Emmett was never phased by my deliciously human grandfather's visits. Mom was though, and always got shaken up about it. She still wore brown contacts to please him, even though her originally scarlet eyes had faded to a warm topaz over the course of the past seven years.

"I wouldn't want to scare him," She said every time she put the horrible things in. This was one of those times. She muttered her explanation for the thousandth, blinking rapidly as the colored contact settled into place.

There was the clunk of boots as Charlie helped himself up the steps, followed by a pair of lighter, distinctly female, feet. Sue Clearwater, Leah and Seth's mom, not a werewolf or vampire, just a plain human. Like Charlie. I envied them, sometimes.

Dad opened the door before Charlie could knock, which surprised him nonetheless, but he quickly shook it off. He was under the impression we were…something, but he hadn't been told what. For protection from the Volturi…for protecting himself. So he could still see us, and love us.

"Hi there," he said, nodding. Sue followed behind, her russet skin almost as beautiful as Jacob's, yet spotted by age. She looked around, fully aware of who everyone in the room was…and what they were. She relaxed visibly as she spotted Jacob, but not much. Still, it was kind of Sue to come along and comfort Charlie, especially at times like these.

"Hey there, Bells," he said, going over to wrap his warm arms around my mom. He shuddered a little at the cold touch, still not quite used to it. Mom pulled back, grinning gorgeously at him.

"Hi, Charlie. How are you?"

"I'm…good…I suppose. A little tuckered out. It's been a long day at the station, but I wanted to stop by since I won't be seeing much of ya in these new few months."

Mom nodded, obviously unsurprised, unlike me.

"Where are you going?" I called out, taking in the expressions around me. Everyone sort of frowned when they looked at me, even Emmett, who usually didn't ever get mad about anything.

"No where, Nessie, but aren't _you_ going somewhere?"

Rosalie sent me a frantic, hurried nod. I turned back to Charlie, still confused, but managed to grin.

"Um…yeah. Guess it slipped my mind."

He chuckled, loping over to give me a hug. "How's my girl?"

"Good," I whispered, my throat burning just a little, as his deliciously human neck came into view. The pulse pounded, hot and delicious, a few inches from my mouth. I'd never had this much trouble being around Charlie, but it had been several weeks since I'd last been around humans. No wonder.

Sue flitted to Charlie's side, offering me and Jacob a small smile before her face settled back down into a grimace.

"Might as well get a game in," Charlie said, sitting down heavily in one of the overstuffed couches placed strategically in front of the seventy-inch television. Emmett hurried to sit beside him, grabbing the remote and turning the station onto a sports channel. Jacob settled in to watch too, but my attention was diverted. I needed to speak to mom, or dad, and figure out what was going on.

"Excuse me," I said, standing up. All eleven heads turned to look at me and I blushed, running at a painstaking human place to get to where my parents stood.

"Can I talk to you," I hissed quietly in mom's ear. She looked towards dad, then nodded, grabbing my hand in hers.

"Nessie left something in the cottage," she announced. "Edward and I need to go grab it. We'll be right back."

Jacob looked at me with worry, but I waved my hand dismissively, showing him he didn't need to come along. He relaxed his posture ever so slightly, then turned back to the television.

We dashed across the meadow where the big house was located, continued to run about a mile into the forest, before we came upon our house. Without hesitation, mom pulled me through the front door, dad trailing in behind us.

"What's going on?" I demanded, crossing my arms. Mom shot dad a look he didn't miss. Slowly, he eased down into a chair, gesturing for me to do the same.

"There's a new…vampire…coming," mom began, causing me to gasp. She held up a finger, indicating for me to wait. "The man contacted Carlisle, and said he had an interest in converting, that feeding off humans was making him depressed. He heard of our family from the Denali's."

Instantly, I relaxed. Anyone who knew Carmen, Elezar, Kate and Tanya were a friend of mine. The small coven of vampires were also "vegetarians" and they sustained on only animal blood.

"He's Garret's old friend," Dad clarified, speaking of Kate's mate, Garret, who I had met a long time ago. "And he's close to Forks, so he wanted to stop in. Of course, Carlisle was thrilled, and so he invited him to stay _here_ for a little while. But he's still new, so not any humans can come around. None."

My heart thudded anxiously. "W-what about Jake?"

Mom and dad shared a look before she answered,

"Jacob is fine. He won't want to drink his blood."

Instantly, I relaxed. Now this all made sense.

"What's his name?"

"Duncan Everett," dad answered without a pause, as if he'd been expecting that question to arise. "He was changed eight years ago, and for many of those years he's been trying to make off with donated blood, but that's a hassle. He hates to kill people. He thought he had to, though, in order to survive. When Garret contacted him and told him of our…existence, he was thrilled. He made plans to visit them at once, but Kate pointed him to Carlisle, since he knows so much about it."

In all honesty, I felt a little excited at the prospect of a new vampire staying with us. It sent thrills rocketing through me, up my stomach.

"We told Charlie we were going out of Forks," mom said lightly, finishing up the story. "It's better that way, if he's not involved. Until Duncan's gone, or his thirst for human blood had calmed, then we need to keep him back."

"That makes sense," I mussed, mostly to myself than my parents. I looked up to see they were both smiling at me.

"What's so funny?" I asked, trying to look stern but failing.

"You are," dad said softly, leaning forward to give me a hug. "You're the most wonderful daughter anyone could ever want, Renesmee, and then you go and scare us like that…" He shuddered. "It's not fair, to make us think we'd have to lose you."

Mom nodded her agreement. "We love you so much, darling, that it hurts to have you be away from us."

I nodded my agreement. "Really, I am sorry. I'm glad I worked things out with Jake, though. It was really important to me."

"Thanks, mom," I said, pulling out of dad's embrace only to be enveloped in hers. I listened faintly for the sound of a beating heart, shuddering a bit when there was none. That's the price of becoming a vampire: no heart, no soul. I doubted the soul part, though. My family was so good and kind and I didn't deserve them. Just thinking about it made my throat ache in a totally different way than Charlie's human blood had.

"Jake's going to be worried," I said, rising. "And thank you both, again."

Mom grinned, linking hands with Dad. "You go ahead, Nessie. We'll be there…in a few minutes."

I blushed deeply, knowing very well what they would be up to for a _few_ minutes. Suddenly, I couldn't get away from there fast enough. I waved wildly, turned on my heel, and darted out of the house faster than I ever had before.


	8. Chapter 8

Hi Guys! :)

Here's another chapter...full of fun, Alice-style! Enjoy! Thoughts? I love reviews! Thank you to anyone who's reviewing!

-Homey :D

**Disclaimer**: They're not mine. (-_-)

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Shopping<strong>

Jacob didn't take the news of Duncan's arrival too well.

"How old is he?"

"I dunno….eight."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Not how long he's been a vamp, Ness. How old is he, you know, frozen at?"

I blinked. "Well…Jake…in all honesty I didn't think to ask."

I thought his cheeks darkened under the russet skin.

"Why did you want to know?" I asked, running my finger up his arm slowly. He shivered a little, then clamped his mouth shut.

"N-no reason."

I smirked devilishly, stepping closer so we were chest-to-chest. I took his face between my hands, being gentle, and stretched up on my toes to press my forehead to his.

"I think you know very well the reason, Jacob Black. And I want to know."

He shook his head, pressing his lips together in a thin line. Tentatively, I reached out to brush my finger along the crease of his lower lip, smiling as his eyes widened.

"How about we make a deal?"

"What does this entail?" He gasped, shuddering under my touch.

"You tell me the reason you're blushing…and I'll give you a kiss."

He pursed his lips, pretending to think. "Well…I guess that's fair. Kiss first, though. And then I'll tell."

I laughed, stepping back, and the illusion was abruptly shattered. "No way in heck, Jake. You will tell, and then I will kiss you."

His cheeks blushed harder, and he stared at his hands. "Um…then…ugh…this is going to sound, like, _really_ stupid but will he…he…be…in-interested in you?"

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Jacob's cute, nervous expression abruptly hardened into a frown. My chuckles halted.

"Jacob Black," I whispered, stepping close to him again. I stared into his eyes, willing him to look at me. I have a satisfied sigh when he did.

"No one, even the most beautiful man in the world, could ever have half as much of my love as you do. I wouldn't _want_ him to. Because you have the most perfect heart. And I love you. Truly, I do."

"I love you too, Nessie," he murmured, pulling my face to his.

Other than Jacob's unnecessary worries, everyone else seemed fine with Duncan's arrival. Carlisle was thrilled, and Esme was glad for anyone to take into her family. Emmett hoped Duncan liked to wrestle, and Rose wondered if he'd find her beautiful. I laughed out loud at that. I loved my aunt to pieces, but she was what you'd call…vain. To the extreme.

Alice struggled to foresee his future, and predicted he arrive in a week's time. Jasper seemed unsettled by this, but other than that, he was looking forward to it. My own parents were indifferent, more wrapped up in each other than him.

The seven days passed quickly. Alice insisted on a shopping trip to Port Angeles for all the women, though somehow Grandma Esme was able to opt out. I would need to discuss that with her.

So it was I, Rosalie, Mom, and Alice who ended up in dad's prized cherry-red Aston Martin Vanquish, cruising down the road at two times the speed limit.

"We all need new outfits," Alice said as Rosalie edged the speedometer up to one hundred and fifteen miles an hour. She was a car freak and we let her drive whenever possible. Me, I didn't know much about cars, but I thought they were cool. I liked to drive fast. Mom was a little like me. Except she knew nothing about them.

"What are we talking here, Alice?" Mom grumbled, sliding down in her seat.

Alice closed her eyes, focusing on the future. She was up front with Rosalie, so she had to turn around to answer us.

"Bella, you will be buying a navy blue sweater, a gray pencil skirt, brown trousers, three pairs of shoes, and a dress. It'll all look _fantastic_ on you."

"I still have to try stuff on, though, don't I?"

"Yup."

I laughed at mom's tortured expression. There was nothing she hated more than clothes shopping. She only had come along to escape Alice's wrath and my pleas for the fact that I needed some company who hated it as much as I.

In truth, shopping for new clothes gave me a thrill. Not as much as it did Alice, but still, it pleased me to have new things.

"What will I get, Alice?"

She closed her eyes, concentrating. Then she gasped.

"What is it?" Rosalie demanded, turning around and slowly the speed of the car down, just a bit.

Alice's eyes flew open with a gasp. "Ness…I just saw you in the most amazing dress! We have to get it."

I groaned, mostly for mom's sake. "Alice…what does this entail?"

Alice closed her eyes again, in deep concentration. When she opened them, they were bright with understanding. "Well…I think…we'll find the dress in Olympia. So we need to turn around, Rose, and go the other way. Now."

"But we've come this far!" Rosalie complained.

Alice's look was deadly, enough to silence the most stubborn of souls. "I said, turn, around, Rose. I want Nessie to have the dress."

"Maybe Nessie doesn't want the dress?" Mom suggested hopefully.

"What is it?" I asked, biting my lip.

"I'm not telling," Alice mumbled in a small voice. "But you're going to wear it at the party. That much I can tell you."

Mom's eyes darkened. "Alice Cullen. What the heck are you talking about?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Alice asked innocently, turning around to look at mom with wide eyes. "We're throwing a party. To celebrate ten years in Forks."

"Has it been that long?" Mom asked breathlessly.

Alice glared at the car in front of us. "Sadly, it's been ten and a half years, but Edward wouldn't let me throw a big party six months ago, what-with how busy everything was." She gave an annoyed sigh. "But, alas, I always get my way! This is the longest we've ever stayed anywhere, undetected. I'm glad. I like it here."

"Me too," I agreed.

Mom sighed. "I guess I do, too. At first, when I came here, I hated it. I thought it was the crappiest place on earth. And then….my own personal sunshine came along…"

"Jacob?" I suggested.

"Edward, Ness," mom corrected gently. "Though, when I was your age, I used to think of Jacob as my own sun. When your dad…" She stopped to sigh. "Left me…"

That reminded me.

"Mom?" I asked curiously. "Um…about that…"

"Yes?"

"Did you kiss Jacob when you were my age? Did he love you, too?"

Mom closed her eyes, leaning back against the seat. In the front of the car, both Alice and Rosalie had frozen, tensed for my answer.

"Yes," she whispered at last. "Yes, Jacob and I kissed."

I let out a long gust of air I'd been holding. Surprisingly, I felt calm. "O-okay. I guess I kind of knew that. I heard dad talking. But…I'm not mad."

Mom turned to look at me with surprise. "You're not?"

"Of course not! I can't blame Jake for liking someone before me. I'm not the first girl in his life. I understand if he loved someone before me."

"That's insightful, Nessie," Alice chirped.

"Yeah," Rosalie grumbled. "The mutt doesn't deserve you."

Mom grinned. "That's my girl! Always so kind and forgiving…"

"Like you," I teased. Then, "Alice? How long 'till we're in Olympia?"

It turned out we didn't make it to the department store Alice wanted until late evening, which was good, I guess, because that was the safest time of day for us to be outside in. Well, for my family.

Vampires sparkle. Like, literally. Luckily, since I was born half-human, I only have a small, subtle luminescence about me while in the sun. So I could go play outside on days when my family couldn't, go to town with Jake on warm days. It was good, that way. I wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way.

So you see the problem. Sparkling, glittery vampires would attract far too much attention. Dad said twilight was the safest time of day for us.

"Let's make this quick," Alice murmured as Rosalie parked, catching the attention of a group of guys standing by the entrance to the store. They eyed the car with appreciative speculation. They seemed to converse. Then the lankiest one of the bunch shoved off the wall he was leaning against and walked toward us with a swagger I recognized. It was one of someone extremely self-assured.

That confidence dropped the second he took in our faces. I had the satisfaction of seeing his jaw drop, then a blush overcame me as his eyes raked hungrily over our clothes, lingering especially below our necks.

"Can I help you?" Rosalie asked sharply.

He looked up, jaw sliding down a bit more at the sound of her wind-chime voice. He suddenly seemed to remember what a fool he must look like, and clamped his mouth shut. He smiled, stepping forward timidly, hands in front of him as if to show the beautiful creatures before him he meant no harm. I laughed under my breath.

"Is that an…Aston Martin Vanquish?"

"Sure is," Rosalie said, stepping forward protectively in front of the car. "What does it matter to you?"

Sometimes, she could be so impolite.

Mom seemed to realize this and stepped out to face the guy, obviously feeling sorry for him. She offered him a smile, which he eagerly returned.

"Hi, there. I'm Bella. These are my sisters, Alice and Rosalie, and that's our friend Renesmee. I suppose this car is a Vanquish, but it's my boyfriend's, and he's not too keen and letting others drive it, if you know what I mean." She winked.

"Um…yeah," he stuttered. "I-I didn't want to drive it. Um…just l-look."

"Rose," Mom said, turning toward my Aunt with a smile. "Can this kind young man take a look at Edward's car?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Fine."

I stepped closer to mom as the group of guys crowded eagerly around the vehicle. Slowly, I leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Why did you say Alice and Rose were your sisters?"

"Because we all look the same," she explained gently. "And obviously, I'm too young to be married and have a daughter, so I said Edward was my boyfriend and you were my friend. It might have scared him for me to say, 'Hey there, this is my half-human half vampire daughter. And this is my husbands and eternal partner's car, you know. We're all vampires too.'"

I snickered when she finished, imagining the man's face if she would have said that. It would have been priceless.

The men, after getting their fill of the car, hurried away. I grimaced as I picked out bits and pieces of their conversations with my hearing, even though they were a block or two away from where I stood.

_"Did you see that one? The blonde? She was freaking gorgeous!"_

_ "I know. But how about that one with the brown hair. Oh my god, man. She was so incredibly hot." _

_ "The girl with that weird hair color was the cutest. Mm…did you get a good look at her? Dude, she was epic!"_

I smiled with satisfaction upon the realization they were talking about me. That was quickly replaced with embarrassment when I realized what they meant by their comments. Suddenly, I didn't want to hear anymore.

The department store loomed ahead of us, daunting in size and the fact that it was open until midnight. It was already six-thirty, and I wouldn't put it past Alice to keep us in there for five-and-a-half hours. I was hungry, too.

"Rosalie, take Bella and help her pick out something suitable. I'll take Nessie here over to the dress section. I don't want anyone else seeing her in the dress, 'kay?"

"Okay," Mom and Aunt Rose agreed, not wanting to mess with Alice's plans. She was a determined little thing, and often went to extremes to keep people from seeing outfits she wanted to be shocking or thrilling.

"Let's get this crap over with," I mumbled, dragging my feet behind her as she tugged me west. Then came rows and rows of dresses. Alice immediately began sifting through them, pulling some off the rack for me to try on. By the time we were done, I was standing there feeling completely lost.

"Come on!" Alice enthused, tugging in the direction of the dressing rooms.

I tried each dress on to which Alice murmured her approval, then abruptly launched into a list of what was wrong with each thing.

"That's not the dress I saw," she sighed at last.

"How did you see me in the first place?" I muttered, as she unzipped a tight fitting leather mini-dress that cut off my airflow. "You can see me, right?"

"I can't see your future, only flickers," Alice explained, helping me maneuver out of the stilettos she had thrown me in. "I saw a little flash…only for a second…of something. It was green. That's all I know. And I knew it was on you because I saw a strand of your hair brushing your shoulder."

"Then this could take forever?"

Alice flashed me a too-wide smile. "Not forever, Ness. Only about four hours for me to go through all the different dresses. Maybe five."

I groaned. Kill me now.


	9. Chapter 9

Shello! :)

Here's yet another chapter. Thanks for the reviews!

Thoughts?

-Homey

**Disclaimer:** Stephenie Meyer is the rightful owner of these characters.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Must Have Had Blue Eyes at Some Point in His Life<strong>

"Nessie, you need to eat something."

"But I'm not hungry!"

Grandma Esme eyed me with disbelief. "But you haven't even eaten anything today! Carlisle says you need to keep your strength up."

"I'm too nervous," I said, hopping off a kitchen barstool to lean over and kiss her cheek. "Thank you for being concerned. But really, I'm fine. I'm just…anxious for Duncan to come."

"Well, we all are," Esme said, reaching out to adjust my hair lovingly. "Alice said he'll be here in less than an hour. Will you eat then?"

"Maybe," I said with a laugh.

"Nessie, come here!" Jacob grumbled from the next room. He hadn't been in a very good mood today, and I was sure I knew why.

"What's wrong, Jake?"

He was lounged across the couch, his feet and head handing off both ends. He had the TV on, but he was glaring at the ceiling, studiously ignoring all the bustling vampires around him.

"Hi Alice," I said, passing by my aunt.

She looked up from arranging an extravagant display of flowers. "Hello, Nessie."

Rosalie was going around, dusting every surface until it was shining. She blurred around the room at shocking speeds, letting out a sound of disgust every time she passed by Jacob's feet.

"Hi, Rose," I muttered, still heading towards Jacob.

"Tell the dog to get his feet off the furniture," she mumbled. I laughed.

"Will do, thanks."

I finally made it to Jacob, plopping down beside him, at the end of the couch. He sat up and quickly wrapped his too-large hands around my waist, tugging me down so I was laying against his chest. Rosalie stopped to shoot me a look of disgust before heading upstairs to finish her work.

"Um…I need to go make sure Duncan's room is clean," Alice murmured, trying to give us alone time. She hurried away, too.

"Now that it's just you and me," I said, propping my head up with my elbow. I leaned toward Jacob's face, closing my eyes.

"In a house full of vampires with super hearing who are listening to us at this very moment," Jake teased, placing his finger on my lips gently.

"I don't care," I whispered huskily, trying to dodge his hand. He, however, held firm until I was forced to give up.

"Why won't you let me kiss you?" I whined, laying my head against his chest.

"Nessie, you sound like you're four," he teased, stroking my hair with his hand. He studied my face silently. "Why are you so excited for Duncan to come?"

"Because I like meeting new people."

"It's not because…"

I rolled my eyes. "Are you so insecure that you think any male who walks through that door is going to sweep me off my feet? What a ridiculous notion, if it's true. Being with anyone besides you would be like…dating my _dad_."

"Well, I've already been through that once, so let's not you fall in love with him too, okay?" His laugh reverberated throughout his body, sending thrills through my stomach. I loved him so much.

"Thanks, Ness," he murmured.

I realized my hands were placed against his face, and he could hear and feel what I was thinking. I smiled, concentrating on my love for him, showing him that I cared.

"I know you do," he said quietly, pulling my hands away from his face to place them on his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around me. "And I love you."

We sat like that for a long time, while I began to drift off. Right on the brink of sleep, I yawned, closing my eyes…

"He's here!" Alice suddenly screeched from upstairs.

"Freaking bloodsucker," Jacob grumbled, roughly jerking both of us into a sitting position. He settled me into his lap, though, and I didn't protest. I was sure he wanted to display me to Duncan as his. Not that it mattered.

Instantly everyone was in the room. Carlisle took his place by the front door, wrapping a secure arm around Esme. Rosalie and Emmett lingered on the stairs, holding hands. Alice and Jasper were standing together on the far side of the room standing so close to one another that their shoulders touched.

Dad and Mom breezed in last, having come from somewhere in the kitchen. Dad settled himself on the arm of the couch, and mom hurried to sit in his lap, just like I was with Jake. I grinned at them.

Carlisle pulled open the door, smiling brightly. Without thinking, I leaned forward eagerly. We were only a few seconds away from meeting the newest addition to our family. I was thrilled.

"Welcome," Carlisle said kindly, and he disappeared from view to step out onto the porch. I heard the brief brushing of granite skin against granite skin, and I suspected they would be shaking hands.

"I'm very excited to be here," someone answered. Carlisle stepped back inside, followed closely by a man with blood-red eyes.

Oh, god. Oh god god god god god god. He was even more gorgeous than my imagination had been able to conjure up. Like what I said to Jake, come true. He stared at us shyly, offering a timid smile.

Instantly, I felt as ease. I stood, ignoring Jake's silent protests as he tugged against my arm, and stepped forward to shake his hand. I felt like I was in a trance of some sort.

"I'm Duncan," he said quietly. I studied him. He was tall, taller than my father, but not as tall as Jake. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and black tank top with the sleeves rolled up. On his feet were a pair of sandals, and he wore artfully faded Levi jeans. He had a Zen-feel to him, and I could instantly tell he was down to earth.

The most surprising thing about him was the shock of white-blond hair upon his head. Half of his scalp was shaved, and the remaining hair was brushed over to the side, dangling down to brush his ear. My heart thumped unevenly.

"I'm…Renesmee," I breathed, wincing a little as his cold hand came into contact with my warm one. We grinned at each other.

"I'm Carlisle, of course," my Greek-like grandfather interceded. He wrapped an arm around Esme's waist. "And this is my wife, Esme." He turned around to point to Rose and Emmett on the stairs. Rosalie rolled her eyes and nodded toward Duncan, while Emmett waved enthusiastically. "That's Rosalie, and her Emmett."

"I'm Alice," Alice said in her beautiful soprano. "And this is my partner, Jazz. Well, Jasper. But I call him Jazz." She smiled kindly.

"I'm Edward, Renesmee's father," dad said boldly. He reached over to place a kiss on mom's forehead. "And this is my gorgeous Bella."

"It's lovely to meet both of you," Duncan said humbly. But he was still looking at me. That made me squirm.

"I'm Jake," my werewolf-shape-shifter-boyfriend said from behind me, startling us all and making me jump. I turned to face him with a sheepish grin.

"Jake's my…boyfriend," I said, stepping back to wrap an arm around his warm, comforting waist. I leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on his arm. Duncan twitched uncomfortably.

"It's nice to meet you too, Jake."

"Come, let's sit," Carlisle said then, and everyone sort of relaxed. Leave it to my grandfather to calm things down. Or maybe it was Jasper…I stared at my uncle with confusion. His talent was to influence the emotions of people around him. Right now I felt….well…blissfully at peace. And I shouldn't. Had to be him.

Jacob pulled me to his side the second I got comfortable. I knew he was being possessive of me, but I really didn't mind. His arms, large and warm, constricted around me. I leaned against him.

Duncan sat in a leather-upholstered chair across from us, while Carlisle and Esme sat on the big sofa. Mom and Dad stood up to go take their place beside them. Jacob and I took up a whole loveseat ourselves.

"Don't you want to sit, Rose?" Dad asked, looking at his adopted sister. His lips twitched, as if he were fighting a smile.

"No thank you," Rosalie said coldly, then turned and strode from the room. Emmett, oblivious to the exchange that had just gone on before him, straddled a chair and turned to face everyone. Always in the center of things.

Jasper went to stand in the far corner of the room. I hoped Duncan wouldn't interpret him as cold or unforgiving, when really Jazz was just a shy, quiet soul. Alice, however, loped up to Duncan, kissed his cheek, and went to perch on the back of mom's shoulders.

"So…what are your origins?" Carlisle asked with genuine interest.

Suddenly all focus were on him, which Duncan didn't seem to like. I gazed at him with curiosity. His eyes were a toned-down, scarlet red that made me shiver. Those were the eyes of a man who had killed people. It bothered me, even though he had obviously hated having to feed on human blood.

"I…was eighteen when I was changed."

I felt Jacob stiffen beside me, and I rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. He was _still _worried that I would choose Duncan over him. Fat chance. I had made my choice-and I intended to stick with it.

"It was at a party. There was a lot of drinking involved, and stuff like that. So I thought I must've been drunk when I saw this beautiful girl beckon to me. I followed her, without thinking, back into one of the bedrooms of the house. She leaned towards me and I remember calling her a lot of…er…rude names."

I looked over and saw dad's nostrils flaring, reading Duncan's thoughts. Mom looked at him anxiously.

"I guess she changed her mind, because her lips brushed my neck…and then there was such _agony_." His voice broke. "For three days I writhed in pain. She seemed to enjoy that, whoever she was. I never learned her name."

"When I awoke, all was quiet. The beautiful woman who had changed me was gone. I stumbled around for a while, fighting my thirst. I didn't know what it meant. I went outside…I hadn't even seen a mirror…and luckily it was nighttime. But then this man in a business suit walked by me and without thinking I jumped on him. I was horrified but my mouth had already closed around his neck, and I couldn't stop feeding. I left him there, on the street, feeling monstrous."

"I didn't know anything about vampires, much less that they actually existed. What a notion! But I researched. I discovered what I was. I was determined not to kill. So I stole from blood banks and hospitals. That was always a lot of trouble, though, and there was never enough…a lot of the time I went thirsty. And when I got too crazed, too…in need of suffice, I would kill people. I've only killed about twenty in my eight years, but it's not something I'm proud of. I wish there had been none."

"I met Garret not long after I was changed. We formed a friendship. Then, right after, I guess he must've gone off with you guys, to fight the vampire kings. I forget their name-"

"The Volturi," dad said quietly.

"Oh, that's right," Duncan mussed. "The Volturi. I didn't hear from him for over a year, and then he contacted me. He told me he was okay, and that he had found someone. He didn't tell me of his newfound existence."

I began to grow depressed, and Garret could tell. He thought it was loneliness, as it had been with him. I was too ignorant to point out I was sad about killing people. I still didn't know he had converted, and I was afraid he'd laugh at me and not want to, as childish as it may sound, be my friend anymore."

"Finally, three months ago, I came out and told him the truth. He demanded it from me. We were on the phone and when I told him, he told me what he had become. Not a murderer, but he was still feasting. He was able to sustain himself, and be happy. I tried animal hunting, but it was too close to where humans were…and so I ended up killing one of them than the animal."

"I called Garrett again, and he told me of you, the Cullen family. I'm so glad you were able to accept me into your home, even if it is temporary. I can't wait to try out this new life…and hopefully leave my past behind."

There was a long pause as his words sank in. Then, I smiled. That seemed to relax everyone. Carlisle reached out to pat Duncan's leg.

"We are glad to have _you_ Duncan. We are always glad to welcome those who no longer want to be murderers."

"Your eyes," I said suddenly, looking at Duncan.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Were they….were they _blue_ when you were human?"

He grinned. "Kind of, yeah."

I pursed my lips. "Hm. I figured they would be."

Dad suddenly stood, pulling mom with him. "It's getting late. Nessie, let's go back home. Jacob, you may walk with us."

"Are you guys leaving?" Was it me, or did Duncan look worried?

Mom smiled at him. "Just for the night. We have a home from here, about a mile away, where Renesmee and Edward and I live."

"Jacob, too?"

"No, but I walk Nessie home," Jacob said firmly, sending him daggers with his eyes. He turned to me. "Let's go, Ness."

I didn't protest, just followed my family mutely out the door. I didn't speak as we walked away from the house. I didn't speak as Jacob threaded his hand through mine. I didn't speak as dad whispered soft words into mom's hair, wrapping an arm around her wait. All of a sudden, Jacob burst out laughing.

Dad was laughing too, staring in the distance as he read Jake's thoughts.

"Yeah, she was kind of pissed off."

"What are we talking about?" Mom said with a grin.

"Blondie," Jacob snickered. "I was wondering why she stormed out of the room like Duncan had rabies or something."

"What did I miss?" Mom demanded.

"Rosalie was angry, yes," Dad admitted quietly. We had come to a standstill, about three-fourths of a mile from the house, now. I wondered if my family could still hear us, or if our voices were just whispers in the wind.

"What for?" I said, shattering my oath of silence.

"Because Duncan wasn't even looking at her."

That made Jacob laugh harder. Loud guffaws rocked through his frame, shaking him from head to toe. If I didn't know better, I'd have thought he was about to phase.

Mom laughed, too, and it was like a tinkle of bells.

"Why wasn't he looking at her?" I asked stupidly.

"Because," dad murmured. "He was looking at you, Renesmee."

That brought Jacob up short. He glared into the distance, muttering what sounded a lot like '_filthy bloodsucker_' under his breath. I grinned, enjoying his jealousy.

"Edward," mom said, turning to him. "Let's race home."

Dad shot us a look before nodding. "Let's."

They took off like a bullet, and were gone in a matter of seconds. I knew they were doing this to give me and Jacob yet another few minutes of alone time. I took his hand, beginning to walk at a painstaking human pace towards the house.

"Duncan's nice," I said after a short time.

Jacob growled. "He was staring at you."

"What about it?"

"I don't like other guys looking at you."

I yanked my hand away from his, glaring at him. "Jake! I've been nothing but understanding of you. I know how imprinting works. I know you love me and can't stand to be away from me, or to see someone threaten your place beside me. But no one will! So suffocate that repulsive worry from you mind, or else I'll think you're mad at me, and thinking that I'll betray you, and then _I'll_ be hurt. Do you want that, Jacob?"

He stared at me with apprehension. "No. I don't want you to feel hurt."

"Then shut the heck up!"

He frowned at me, taken aback, before turning and abruptly running parallel to the woods. After a second, I caught a russet wolf sprinting away. I sighed, then turned to go drag myself back to the house.

Nice job, Nessie. Keep up the good work.

Idiot.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi Guys! :)

This is the end of "Book One" which means the next ten chapters will be told in Bella's POV. So far, I only have one chapter written. (:P) So it might take a while to get this story going, but I'm going to try my hardest!

Real quick: I'm having a CONTEST! :D Check out my profile and entries for more information. I'd love it if you'd enter!

Thanks! Enjoy!

-Homey

**Disclaimer: **The wonderful world of Twilight and all it's characters (except Duncan Everett) belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: Party Time<strong>

Jacob didn't come around much.

I knew I had hurt his feelings, but I tried to push the guilt away. Instead, I focused on our newest visitor. Duncan turned out to be a lot of fun, and even Rosalie warmed up to him. He wrestled with Emmett; played chess with Jasper; allowed Alice to buy him a new wardrobe of clothes; demonstrated his piano skills to dad; discussed medicine with Carlisle; cooked with Esme…basically, he made everyone happy.

The hunting was a new thing entirely to him, and he struggled with it. I was glad to help, pointing out which animals tasted better and what were the most filling. He was glad for my assistance, and a small friendship formed between us.

A week had yet to pass, and already Duncan seemed right at home.

"We have two days to get ready for the party!" Alice announced suddenly, four and a half days after Duncan's arrival. He looked at her with alarm.

"What party?"

"There won't be humans involved," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "But there will be vampires! Let's see…the Denali's will be coming. Kate promised. And Jasper's friends, Peter and Charlotte. Also the Amazon clan, Bella. You remember them?"

"Of course," mom replied, and I thought I saw her shudder.

"It's all right, love," Dad leaned over to whisper in mom's ear. She nodded.

"I think Siobhan's coven will come, Maggie and Liam. Maybe even Benjamin and Tia, but not Amun and Kebi. They're still…at odd ends…about what happened several years ago with the Volturi."

"What were the specifics of that, exactly?" Duncan asked with interest.

I smiled. "It's a long story."

He winked. "I've got time."

I giggled, despite myself. I saw mom eye dad worriedly from the couch, but I ignored them. So what if I laughed at something Duncan said? It wasn't a big deal.

"That brings the total attendance, counting ourselves, to twenty-four," Alice interrupted, effectively ending the conversation. "It's a black-tie formal event, of course." She grimaced at Duncan's attire. "You'll need a suit."

"I've got one, surprised?" He grinned.

She closed her eyes, looking into the future, and shuddered delicately. "It's worn out, but it'll do. Now, Esme? Will you be wearing your violet gown?"

I tuned her out then, the best that I could. I hoped Jacob would come to the party. I wanted him there, even if he didn't want me.

The plans progressed, and soon the house was abuzz with activity. Alice used every last ounce of her decorating skill to make sure it all looked fabulous. The light, fluttery curtains were replaced with black-and-cream velvet drapes. Vases of blood-red roses were placed on every surface, and a new sound system was installed. She wrapped the stair banister with expensive silk. When the day of came around, all the women were called into the bathroom to be "made beautiful", according to Alice.

Poor Esme was the first to feel my aunt's wrath. She sat her down in a chair, turned to her bathroom counter lined with makeup, and went to work. Esme was artfully given dark lipstick, gold eye shadow, and some blusher for her stone-white cheeks. She looked breathtaking when she was done, even more so after Alice slipped her gown over her head. It was orchid-purple, draped around her and highlighting her best assets. Overall, she was stunning.

"You look amazing," mom murmured when Esme was done. She leaned forward to hug her, careful not to muss her dress, should Alice have to start over.

"Now go, Esme," Alice commanded, waving her out. "And make sure the men have their suits on. I want them to be handsome and debonair."

"I'm sure they'll be very, _debonair_, Alice," mom muttered as she eased herself down into the seat. "Do your worst."

Alice laughed her tinkling laugh. "Oh, Bella. You haven't changed a bit, have you? Now, let's see…"

I let my mind wander as Alice worked magic over mom, thinking of Jacob and his distance. I really hoped he would come tonight, so I could apologize. I knew I had been hurting him by showing preference to Duncan. He had just been so clingy, lately…

"All done!" Alice chirped, surprising me. I jumped in my seat, then gasped. Mom looked…well…

"Breathtaking," someone said from the doorway. I turned to look at dad. He was staring at her with a mix of awe and adoration. If mom could blush, she would have.

"It's nothing," she mumbled modestly, twirling her hands together in front of her. The navy blue dress she wore was fitted to her frame, split up her leg to her knee. Her hair was pulled back and twirled into an elegant bun atop her head, with a few tendrils of the gorgeous brown left to curl down and caress her face. Her eyes looked bigger, framed by dark eyeliner, and her lips were full and a becoming pink.

"You're exquisite," Dad murmured, seeming to forget that there were three other people in the room. He crossed over to mom in three huge strides, took her face gently between his marble hands, and crushed his lips to hers. She gasped, and then wound her arms around him, kissing him back.

Alice looked thunderous. Her eyes had gone black with fury, her lips pulled over her teeth in an unbecoming grimace, and a furious snarl ripped between her clenched teeth. She frightened _me_, and I wasn't even the one she was mad at.

"Edward Anthony Cullen," she said, low and deadly, crossing over to pull him roughly away from mom. "You are going to run my masterpiece. Go! Go now!" She pushed him out the door then turned to look at mom and frowned. "Your lipstick is mussed, but other than that, you still look okay. That's good, because otherwise I would've had to kill Edward. Do you realize that I have less than two hours to complete three other looks, and then I still have several things to set up?" She continued on, not giving mom a chance to speak. "Obviously not, because look what you've done! Bah!"

Mom made her escape then, looking afraid for good reasons. That left me and Rose along with Alice-the-menace, and she beckoned to her next victim, my other aunt, less than a second later.

"Okay, Rose, what do you want?"

I sank back into daydreaming, not really paying attention, fear twisting in my stomach at the prospect of her doing my hair and makeup. Frankly, Alice could be quite scary at times. This was one of those times.

"You're done, now, Nessie!"

I tried my best to keep from groaning, really, but a small one escaped my lips. I barely got a good look at Rosalie's gorgeous red gown and makeup before she hurried from the room. I didn't blame her.

"Let's get this over with," I sighed, heaving myself into the chair.

Alice grinned. "Now, Renesmee, you're going to be gorgeous! Just sit back, relax, and let me do all the work."

I tried, really, I did, but it was hard to considering she was apply the makeup roughly, and I was afraid she'd poke my eye out. Alice leaned back after close to half an hour, giving a nod of satisfaction.

"You're perfect. Now, for your hair."

My bronze locks were already wavy, so she pulled them over my shoulder and secured it with a hair tie. My knees were shaking as I stood and Alice slipped my tight green down over my head. I hoped dad wouldn't have a fit.

It was a corset-style, green ensemble that was both thrilling and frightening to wear. It wasn't exactly low-cut, but it _looked_ like it was. It stayed tight to my body, flaring out when it hit my thighs, from there floating down gracefully to brush against the floor. It was embarrassing and amazing and horrific all wrapped in one. I wondered why I had allowed this monstrosity to grace my wardrobe. The sleeves wrapped around below my shoulder, barely an inch long. So not much coverage there, either.

My arms were bare, my shoulders, some of my back….

Dad was going to kill Alice. And then me.

"You look gorgeous!" Alice purred, stepping back to take it all in. "Stay here, and then we'll descend together." She darted off, obviously going to fetch her own dress.

Downstairs, I heard the door open and close, and voices carried up to brush my ears. I was able to distinguish each one, smiling as the conversations swelled around me.

"Hello, Edward, Bella," the particularly lovely voice of Tanya Denali said. "Where's Nessie? I hope she's well."

"She's doing perfectly," dad said cheerfully. I heard the rustle of fabric, and I supposed he had hugged her. "You look good."

"It's Kate who looks good!" Tanya said with a laugh. I heard someone else hug dad, and then some light, happy laughter.

"I really love marriage," Kate Denali said happily. "Garrett is perfect, and he's adjusted to the vegetarian lifestyle so well."

I heard Duncan bump-fists with someone I supposed was Garret, and then they began to talk. I tried not to listen, really, but it was hard.

"So," Garrett asked. "How do you like life here?"

"It's amazing, so far," Duncan said happily. "There's one girl, Renesmee, and she's so awesome."

"Do you like her?"

"She has a boyfriend."

"So? Do you like her?"

I heard Duncan sigh, then scratch the back of his neck. "Well, yeah. I do."

My heart stopped for an infinite moment, and then I relaxed. Obviously, Jacob wasn't here, or else he would have responded to that particular comment.

"I'm ready!" Alice cooed, hurrying back in then. She was wearing a beautiful silver gown that complimented her tiny frame perfectly. I grinned at her.

"You look beautiful, Alice. Thanks for the dress. And I my hair."

"Sure thing, Ness. Now, are you ready?"

I paused, measuring her words. Was I ready? Was I ready to face the people that had helped to save my life seven years ago?

"Yeah, I am."

Alice danced gracefully over to me, wrapped my arm through hers, and tugged me toward the stairs. Slowly, she started down the steps, mostly for my sake. I heard the door open once more as we went, and dad greeted Jacob. Jacob.

We rounded the corner, and then everything seemed to stop. All at once, each and every party guest turned to look at us. I studied dad's face. He looked a little flushed, perhaps the tiniest bit angry at my attire, but not enough to scare me. Good.

My eyes turned to take in Duncan's face. He was frozen, mouth agape, staring appreciatively at my outfit. I blushed deeply, unused to the attention.

Then my focus was on Jacob. He grinned when he saw me looking at him, and I smiled back. His gaze didn't make me uncomfortable, like the others had. He was just…Jacob. He loved me and wanted me to be safe and happy. I wanted the same.

"Hello, everyone!" Alice trilled, and then the party seemed to go back into motion. Greetings were called to us, which I exchanged, and then we hit the bottom step. Vampires closed into hug me and say how lovely I looked and how grown I was. I smiled and returned the compliments with ease.

Finally, I made it to Jacob. He held his arms out, and I rushed into them, placing my head contentedly against his chest.

"You look…wow, Nessie. Amazing."

I laughed, looking up at him with pure love. "It's Alice, not me."

"But still." His fingers trailed down my back, lingering on the laces that held the bodice together. "You're so beautiful."

I smiled, taking in his disheveled hair, collared shirt and slacks. "Apparently, Alice got to you, too."

He nodded with a laugh. "She did. Freaking pixie demanded that I wear something with _class_ or else she'd cut my head off."

Across the room, Alice stuck her tongue out at him. I laughed.

"She probably would."

"Yeah…" His arms tightened around me, and we began to sway back and forth. The music started up.

"You know, I've spent the last ten years in Forks, too."

"La Push," I corrected with a grin.

"Forks, La Push. Doesn't really make a difference. And seven of those years have been blissfully happy, Ness, because of you."

"All of my years here have been happy," I pointed out. "And you're to thank, Jacob. I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you."

He laughed. "I love you too, honey."

We danced in silence for a while, and then I smiled up at him.

"Will you kiss me?"

His eyes widened. "In front of your vampire friends?"

I nodded, standing up on my tiptoes to bring my face closer to his. "Of course."

And so he did.


	11. Chapter 11

Hello! :D

I MADE IT UP TO 27 REVIEWS!

Thank you all soooo much! I appreciate it. :D

This was my first-ever fanfic, so it's a little rough around the edges. Which makes your reviews more special. :)

All right, so, we're moving onto book two! :) Yay!

Don't forget to take a look at my AlmostSummer Writing Contest!

Thanks! *hugs*

-Homey

**Disclaimer:** Bella, Edward, Jacob and Nessie belong to Stephenie Meyer. *jealous face* So do the rest of the vampires/wolves/various mythical creatures mentioned in this book. Oh, and the humans.

©HomeschoolGirl 2012, or at least this actual post is. The characters, not so much. But anyway, please don't use this as your own. Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>BOOK TWO<strong>

bella

_"I am Switzerland. I refuse to be affected by territorial disputes between mythical creatures."_  
>-Stephenie Meyer, <span>Eclipse<span>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Jealousy<strong>

I knew it was ridiculous. Truly, I did. But I couldn't help the rise of heart-wrenching worry I felt when Edward hugged Tanya. It had pretty much been sealed that he was mine. She smiled at him, though, with hopeful eyes. That bugged me.

We made light conversation, not really talking about anything extremely important. I was quite able to catch snatches of conversation from around the room, most of which was uninteresting to me.

"Hi Jacob," Edward suddenly said. I turned and grinned at my best friend. His black hair was slicked back, and he had dressed up a bit for the occasion. He looked cute, in a brotherly way. I waved.

I didn't have time to say anything, though, because Alice was suddenly tugging Nessie down the stairs. They descended gracefully. I heard Edward's sharp intake of breath as he took in our daughter's attire, but I didn't really mind. She looked fabulous.

"Hello, everyone!" Alice trilled, grinning at everyone in the crowd. That seemed to set everything in motion. I wanted with a sad smile as our friends hurried to envelop in their stone arms, saying how grown up she was. It was true. My little nudger: a woman at last. This event seemed to signify that transition, and I wondered if Alice hadn't done this just to introduce the new, grown Renesmee to us all.

It wasn't long before she was in Jacob's arms. I turned away then, wanting to give them privacy. Edward followed me over the staircase, where I sat down heavily.

"She's not a child anymore, Edward."

"I know," he said, leaning over to pat my back. "Seven years hardly seems long enough to claim her. But now, she belongs to somebody else."

"What if they get married?" I suddenly gasped, horror-stricken. "Edward, I can't! I can't let her go yet…"

"Bella, love," he said, bending over to gather me in his arms. He moved his lips to my ear, speaking so low, the words were just for me. "How do you think Charlie felt when we got married? Renee? We've had seven years to get used to the idea of love between our daughter and Jacob…your parents only had a few months before they realized the significance of our relationship. Before they realized that I truly loved you, and would die a thousand times for you, and that I would, essentially, be with you forever. No divorce, no foul play, no rude names or abuse. Just love. Well, that's what Jacob has for Nessie. I'm reluctant to admit it's just as strong as my devotion to you, for I never thought there would be a bond equal to ours, but it is. Maybe even more, but all his feelings for her are not purely romantic, and that's why. Of course, my feelings for you…they're essentially unbreakable."

I laughed as he began to sway to the sudden change in song. With a mischievous, boyish, crooked grin, he dipped me back so the tips of my hair brushed the floor.

"By the way, I love you," he said, kissing the hollow of my throat.

I laughed breathlessly, clinging to the back of his shirt with frantic fingers, lest he drop me. I knew it wouldn't hurt if I fell, but it might crack the floor.

"I love you too," I said when he stood me back up. I wrapped my arms around his neck, settling my head against his chest. "More than you can ever know."

We danced for a while, probably two or three songs, before Benjamin sauntered over to us. The Egyptian vampire held tightly to Tia, his lovely mate.

"Hello," he said, leaning forward to shake Edward's hand, then give me a one-armed hug. "I'm glad to see you are all doing so well."

"Thank you," Edward replied formally. "How are Amun and Kebi?"

Benjamin's scarlet eyes seemed to darken the tiniest bit. "They are…fine. I hope you are not afraid they have ill will toward you, for they do not, they just…are anxious, I guess, should they encounter a member of the Volturi. For the past several years, they have been staying solely to themselves, only venturing out into the city when hunger calls. I'm worried for them."

"That's unfortunate," Edward mused. "Never the less, give them our best if you see them. And please, let them know we ourselves have yet to hear from the Volturi. Not a letter, not a call-nothing. I think, for now, they've let it go."

I stiffened beside Edward. He failed to mention the flickers Alice was _still _getting-plans for them to come here, as a group, or maybe just send a couple of guards. They were afraid of us. That was good. But we were afraid of them, too.

We chatted casually for a few more minutes before Alice called everyone up for speeches. She placed a microphone on the stairs, tapping it lightly, sending an echo to get everyone's attention. The foyer that seemed so big before was now packed, making me uncomfortable. I looked across the room at Nessie. She was seated in Jacob's lap, head against his chest, as his arms wound around her. I noticed that several other couples in the room seemed to be doing similar things.

"I want to thank you all for coming," Alice chirped. "This is a very important party-not only for Renesmee, but all of us Cullens. This marks our tenth year in Forks, the longest we have ever stayed in one place. I'm the first to admit things haven't always been easy, but thanks to the help of our friends and the ever-amazing Bella, we've managed to make it work."

Everyone clapped enthusiastically. I found myself cheering right along.

"Now, would anyone like to come up and say a few words?"

When there was no reply, Alice's eyes darkened. "I _said_ would anyone like to come up and say a few words?"

There was a brief grumbling and then Jacob of all people trotted up onto the stage. I suspected Nessie had something to do with this. That was confirmed when in my peripheral vision I saw her waving her arm to direct him along. I laughed.

"Um…hi," He said into the mic. The sound reverberated, filling the room. We all stood silent and still, waiting to see what he would say.

"This isn't really my forte," He mumbled gruffly. "And s'not ideal. But I just wanted to say thank you to the bloodsu-er-Cullens, for letting me stay with them. And for letting me connect with Nessie and be with her. These past seven years have been some of the best of my life, and I owe that to them, and the beautiful girl standing in front of me."

Renesmee blushed deeply. I smiled over at her. She smiled back.

Jacob ran a hand nervously through his dark hair. "So…thanks."

There was a polite spattering of hands throughout the room. I wished the vampires my family called "friends" would just get over their aversion to werewolves and treat Jacob kindly, but of course I knew that wasn't realistic.

Edward surprised me by suddenly leaping forward, tugging me behind him. My eyes widened but I didn't protest. I found myself in front of the microphone a second later, before Jacob even had the chance to exit the stage.

"Thank you, my friend," Edward said, placing a warm hand on Jacob's shoulder. He kept it there, turning back to the crowd.

"I want to make a request to you all in honor of this special day, one that isn't mandatory but would be generous for you to follow. Tonight, instead of dieting as you normally would, please consider the lush wildlife of Forks as an alternative. We have delicious elk, mountain lion, and deer among other varieties. I'd be so appreciative if you all would just give it a go. If that doesn't appeal to you, that's fine, but please hunt away from Forks, Seattle, and Port Washington. Just…consider it. For us."

He was met with shocked silence. I too, could not seem to find my voice. Had Edward just…_what_! He'd asked our friends to go vegan for a day! I forced a smile, trying to play along as if I had known my husband was going to go off the deep end all this time, oh yes I certainly did.

"Sounds…challenging," Siobhan, from the Irish coven, said from beside Carlisle. "Good thing I like challenges. Tonight, Maggie, Liam and I will hunt as you do."

Edward beamed. "Thank you, Siobhan…Liam…Maggie."

The redheaded Maggie grinned. "Ooo…this will be fun."

Liam scowled, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. Okay, well, maybe everyone wasn't going to be happy…but Siobhan was technically leader of the threesome's coven, and because of that her wishes would be followed. Three less people would die tonight. That made me feel good.

Suddenly other people found their voices, declaring the same. My smile grew wider as more and more vampires vouched that they would try animals. When the chatter at last settled back into silence, over half the people had vouched to go vegan.

"Thank you all so very much," Edward said, grinning gorgeously. "This means so much not only to me, but to the rest of us…" He swooped his arm around in a friendly gesture. "To my sweet wife, Bella, to Carlisle and Esme, to Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. And to Renesmee."

We made our way off the "stage" as other people took our place. But I wasn't even paying attention. I marveled at my husband's bravery at making such a request. My heart swelled with pride and I turned, boldly catching his face in my hands and kissing his lips feverishly.

Edward responded to my kiss at once, placing one hand on the small of my back. I pressed myself closer to him, winding my fingers through his. He was so good, and kind, and smart, and beautiful, and generous…I did not deserve him.

"I do not deserve you," Edward murmured a moment later, pulling away. I giggled then looked around, noticing that several people were staring. If I could blush, I would have. Oh, well.

"No," I argued solemnly. "It's _you_ I do not deserve. You're…" I stopped, at a loss for words. "Amazing." Okay, maybe that word-choice was a bit first-grade, but I didn't care. There was no other way to express myself. "So amazing."

He grinned my favorite crooked grin of his. "I could say the same for you, Mrs. Cullen. You're stunning."

I laid my head against his chest, sighing. "No, Edward…you are."


	12. Author's Note: PLEASE READ

Hello!

I just wanted to begin by thanking you all for all of your support. **You Love Me** got a total 469 reviews, which is absolutely AMAZING. I am so grateful, I can't even begin to express how I feel. :)

I'm taking a break from writing **Thorns**, **V****iolet Sunset**, **Now**, and even **Being Grimm**-which I just recently began. I need to evaluate what sort of stories I want to write, and what kind of writing I do. I love writing-it's such a big part of my life-and I'm so glad to have shared it with you all. Thank you for your support, reviews, and favorites. I have read _every _review I've ever gotten for all of my stories, and I so appreciate each one. :D

I'm not going to quit these stories forever, per-say, but it's not fair to have you waiting for a new chapter if I'm not going to post. Enjoy your summer, and I'll see you again in the Fall!

Much thanks,

Homey :)


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